

















<P \v 



o 












.V *<. 



s V**' 



^ <c 



' c ^ 



■.v -*>, 












- V- 

" x v 



^ Xi 












■ O 



vV 






<0 





■ 






























/- ^t 




s 




%■' 








% <% 






S, 










^v 














'-. 















"^ s* N 






J> ^ 



. 



V 









V 









-A 



* ^ 







<\ 






^ Y 



'^. ,v 



^ V . *.; A/. ,^ 



^ ,^ 



^ ^ ^ 



■V^ 



'P\* 



A v«» :i 



? ^ 



.,-fc 



<&>• c 









vO o. 



rj ^ '' 



• 



<V ^ ' •' ° 









^v 



vOo, 



V 






A <3 



5 ^ 









-^ v° 



*° 



v •>' 



't 









A 








% 








< 




\ 


G V 






TV" 


1 B ,. ; 




,•0' 








I' 




■"- 






VF *■ ^ ^ ' v^ 1 - " 



a K 



o 






.^ N ;< 






vV 



v 

3 <2L 












N - 



V> ' 



-/'% 



,0 c> 



■X 









^^* ,3 V X 






/ 



C k 



ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS 



ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS 

FOR 

GARDEN, LAWN, AND PARK 
PLANTING 

WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN, CAPABILITIES, AND 
ADAPTATIONS OF THE NUMEROUS SPECIES AND VARIE- 
TIES, NATIVE AND FOREIGN, AND ESPECIALLY 
OF THE NEW AND RARE SORTS, SUITED 
TO CULTIVATION IN THE 
UNITED STATES 



BY 

/ 

LUCIUS D. DAVIS 



FULLY ILLUSTRATED 



G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS 

NEW YORK AND LONDON 
Ebe IRnickerbocfcer press 

1899 



"VLVi3 



38132 



Copyright, 1899 

BY 

LUCIUS D. DAVIS 
Entered at Stationers' Hall, London 

two cop ifs R£czivea 







TXbc Tknfcherbocfcer press, View JL'orft 



2 (9 




PREFACE 



AS this is not designed to be a scientific treatise, no 
attempt is made at strictly botanical classification 
or description. What is written is more especially 
for the large number of people who, though interested in 
plants and flowers, have little or no knowledge of botany, 
and neither time nor inclination to acquire it. It is not 
intended by this statement, however, to give support to a 
somewhat common opinion that the lessons of botany are 
useless or uninviting, for few studies can be, to a genuine 
lover of nature, more attractive or even fascinating. In 
nearly all cases the popular names of plants are given in 
connection with those by which they are scientifically 
known throughout the civilized world. Botanical terms 
and phrases are employed in description only when it is 
believed they will interest and assist the ordinary reader, 
rather than tend to his embarrassment. It is certainly 
worth something to those who admire trees, shrubs, and 
flowers to know their scientific as well as their common 
names, and, to some extent, their origin and history. 

It is as a help to such knowledge, the want of which is 
sorely felt by many, that these pages have been written 
and are now given to the public. Much that is contained 
herein is gathered from the writings of those who have 



iv Preface. 

gone before, including recognized authorities whose works 
are valuable chiefly to those who, like their authors, are 
learned in botanical studies. But dependence has not 
been made on these alone. The volume has been pre- 
pared in Newport, R. I., America's great summer resort, 
which in its magnificent villa and cottage grounds is 
almost literally a city of gardens and flowers. Here per- 
haps more than anywhere else in America are to be found 
in practical use the combined horticultural treasures of 
the world. 

These famous gardens derive their chief beauty and 
glory from what are known as hardy plants. In almost 
every instance the chief reliance for both flowers and 
foliage is upon shrubs and herbaceous perennials. The 
author has improved the opportunity of studying the pro- 
cesses of growth and cultivation on most of these estates 
from their inception to their present proportions, and is 
thus able to write largely from personal observation and 
study of the living specimens in all stages of their growth. 
Here are to be found the newer as well as the older hardy 
exotics from all parts of the world, where such have been 
grown alongside our native plants and their relative merits 
fully determined. All those which have withstood the 
tests of experience are here brought under review, and 
their especial characteristics noted so far as practicable in 
the space allotted ; it being the purpose to cover the 
whole field especially of the hardy shrubs, old or new, 
adapted to useful and ornamental planting. 

It is well understood that botany deals chiefly with 
fixed forms, as represented by orders, genera, and species, 



Preface. v 

and that it takes little or no note of such varieties as 
are constantly making their appearance throughout the 
world. For this there is good reason from a scientific 
standpoint, but when it comes to the practical use of 
plants in general cultivation it is found that many of the 
species thus treated have given forth varieties, through 
processes well understood, that are far more valuable for 
the work in hand than the originals, and such as are com- 
ing, in a large measure, to displace them. A very large 
proportion of the plants in the best gardens of Europe 
and America belong to the latter class, many of which are 
not even named by the scientists — much less described. 
To these especial attention is given, as for horticultural 
purposes they are of great value. It is true that much 
has been written in a fragmentary way concerning these 
varietal forms, but this is believed to be the first attempt 
to gather and publish in a single volume an account of the 
wonderful evolutions in connection with the several types 
so far as they are of practical use in our gardens and 
parks. There are also many excellent books in the hands 
of the people, or at their command, treating of the plants 
of certain sections of the world, each complete in itself, 
but regardless of their value in horticulture or of the uses 
to which they may be put. All this is in the direct line 
of scientific inquiry, and such books are of the highest 
possible value, but fail to meet the call for information 
which comes from the man with grounds to plant, and 
who is neither a botanist nor versed in horticulture. 

Though the attempt is here made to describe in brief 
the desirable forms indigenous to other countries as well 



VI 



Preface. 



as our own, so far as they are in use among us and appli- 
cable to the wants of American horticulture, there will 
still be left large possibilities for the future. New varie- 
ties are springing up and new forms appearing every year, 
both by natural processes and through the skilful work of 
the hybridizers and gardeners, who are ever on the look- 
out for new things in this line. These processes will go 
on in the future as they have in the past, and it may well 
be believed that the possibilities are limitless in this 
direction. 

Acknowledgments are due to Messrs. Elwanger & Barry 
of Rochester, N. Y. ; The Gardening Company, and the 
publishers of Park and Cemetery of Chicago ; E. L. Beard 
of Boston, and W. C. Egan of Highland Park, for several 
valuable plates and photographs used in illustrating this 

volume. 

L. D. D. 

Newport, R. I., 
February, 1899. 




ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS. 



KALMIA— Mountain Laurel. 

THE kalmias, or laurels, are among the most beauti- 
ful plants in cultivation. They constitute a small 
genus of the order Ericacecz, which was named by 
Linnaeus in honor of Peter Kalm, who was at one time his 
favorite pupil, and, later, a traveller and distinguished 
botanist. They are all of American origin, and may be 
found over a large extent of territory ranging from Canada 
to Florida. But five or six species are known, and not 
many established varieties, though there are some forms 
so near the border between the two as to make it difficult 
to draw the line with certainty. 

K. latifo lia — Calico Bush. — This is the well-known 
mountain laurel, which is indigenous to New England and 
even much farther north, and may therefore be put down 
as perfectly hardy and easily grown throughout the north 
and northwestern States and Territories. It is found 
high up among the New Hampshire mountains and often 
in most inhospitable situations, as well as upon the Alle- 
ghany ranges and Georgia hillsides. In protected situa- 
tions, it sometimes grows to a height of fifteen to twenty 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



feet, but as usually seen, its proportions are very much 
less. It has a slender stem, with branches in twos or 
threes in imperfect whorls. The leaves are scattered, 
though often in tufts, from two to four inches long, rather 
narrow, acute at each extremity, glossy green, coriaceous, 
and continuing during the winter even in the coldest cli- 
mates. Few or no plants produce more lovely blossoms, 

which appear in June and 
July, and in thus follow- 
ing- the rhododendrons and 
most of the azaleas, are of 
the most effective service 
in keeping up a succession. 
They are in terminal heads 
on flower stalks an inch or 
more long. The color of 
the corolla varies from a 
pure white to a rich rose, 
with numerous shadings be- 
tween the two. The border 
of the tube is painted with a waving, rosy line, and the pen- 
cilling is as delicate as can well be conceived. The wonder 
is that a shrub of so great hardiness and such charming 
flower is not planted much more largely than it is. It is 
more easily grown than the rhododendron and is in no- 
wise less desirable. It is suggested that the difficulty ex- 
perienced in removing plants from the woods to private 
grounds, and the many failures in that direction, have 
created the impression that it is unusually fickle and cannot 
be depended upon. But, as a matter of fact, it is no more so 




BROAD-LEAVED LAUREL. 
(kalmia LATIFOLIA. ) 



Kalmia — Mountain Laurel. 3 

than numerous others of the best and most common plants 
in our gardens. If one will go to the nurseryman instead 
of the woods, he will find very little difficulty in this direc- 
tion. Kalmias properly grown and trained yield as kindly 
to removal as do most other plants, and can be handled as 
safely. Nicholson pronounces this " one of the most 
useful, elegant, and attractive of dwarf flowering shrubs." 
K. angustifolia, or narrow-leaved laurel, is a low ever- 
green plant, usually from one to three feet high, and 
is often found growing in bunches or paths in moist or 
low grounds, where it is deemed especially undesirable by 
the farmer or herdsman who considers it poisonous to 
calves or lambs. So common is this impression that in 
many sections it is known as the lamb-kill or sheep-kill 
plant. It is claimed by some good authorities that the 
foliage is not poisonous at all, and that the ill effects 
ascribed to it come from the fact that the foliage is quite 
indigestible, and thus fatal at times to young and tender 
animals. This is all the more probable from the fact that 
we seldom or never hear complaints of fatalities in the 
case of cattle or sheep of mature years, which, it is to be 
presumed, feed on the leaves as freely as do their young. 
In this little shrub the flowers are in lateral corymbs, and 
in from three to twelve whorls to each spike. They are 
purple and crimson, and appear in early summer. The 
London Garden says that K. angustifolia should always 
be planted in rhododendron beds so as to keep up a suc- 
cession of flowers, and mentions three sorts which may 
well be used for such a purpose. There are several pretty 
varieties, one of which, the nana, makes an excellent pot 



4 Ornamental Shrubs. 

plant. It grows but six to eight inches high. K. glauca 
is another dwarf of from one to two feet, having lilac-pur- 
ple flowers, and leaves with revolute edges, long and 
narrow, green on the upper side and glaucous white be- 
neath. It is a handsome little shrub, and can be used to 
advantage in many situations. K. hirsuta is an extreme 
southern species, ranging from South Virginia to Florida, 
and is said to be found also on the island of Cuba. The 
flowers are rose-colored, and appear later than the others. 
It is not of much worth, however, for garden purposes. 

DEUTZIA. 

THE deutzias constitute a genus of the order Saxi- 
frages, and are mostly natives of Japan and the 
Himalaya Mountains, though it is believed that 
they are also indigenous to northern China and perhaps 
other portions of Asia. None of the species is found in 
Europe or America as native of the soil. They received 
their name in honor of Johann Deutz, a Dutch naturalist, 
whose memory as a botanist is thereby carried to succeed- 
ing generations. Nearly all are hardy shrubs, with rough 
bark, axillary flowers, and leaves mostly ovate, acuminate, 
serrate, and more or less scabrous. Though hardy, some 
of the smaller members of the group are suited to forcing 
under glass, by which process they are made to produce 
beautiful flowers at any season of the year desired, and in 
great abundance. When introduced to Europe they were 
received with much favor and were soon widely dis- 
tributed, as was also the case in our own country, where 
they still occupy an important place in garden and park 



Deutzia. 



planting. The genus is not large, but the number of 
varieties is constantly increasing, some of which are in 
marked distinction from the type. 

D. crenata is now described as the type from which 
several others, heretofore classed as distinct species, are 
recognized simply as varieties. It is a fine shrub six to 
eight feet high, and often throwing 
up several stems from the same root, 
the whole forming a well-proportioned 
head quite as broad as its height. 
The leaves are ovate-lanceolate, 
serrulate, somewhat rigid or stiff, 
and roueh to the touch. The 
flowers are white, in racemes or 
panicles, and very pretty. It was 
at one time largely planted, but 
in later years has given way to 
some of its varieties which have 
been found to possess all its good 
qualities with some others in 
addition. D. c. candidissima 
plena is one of these, of which 
scarcely too much can be said in praise. The white 
blossoms are double and so numerous that the bush in 
its flowering season has the appearance of a mass of 
small rosettes. D. scabra has long been spoken of as 
a species, but is now counted as another variety of the 
crenata. It, too, is a good plant, having single flowers, 
white within, and marked with pink or purple on the out- 
side of the calix. D. waterii has also been claimed as 




DEUTZIA CRENATA. 



6 Ornamental Shrubs. 

a species, but is now generally held to be a varietal form. 
The flowers are double, pinkish-white, opening nearly flat 
like a rose, and of larger size than in most of the other 
forms. As it is still rare the full value of the shrub in its 
adaptations to various localities is not yet determined, 
but the promise is good. All these forms are hardy as 
well as desirable. 

D. gracilis is one of the smallest members of the fam- 
ily, and is widely known in cultivation. It usually grows 
from two to four feet, with numerous slender 
branches, which combine in the formation of 
a symmetrical and well-rounded head. The 
flowers are small, pure white, and produced in 
the most luxurious abundance, ranging along 
the whole length of the stems, and giving the 
low bush much the appearance of a large bou- 
quet. They appear in May or early June, 
leading in this respect most members of the 
family. There are few plants better adapted 
to forcing in pots, under glass, or even in a 
well-warmed arid light cellar. For growing in 
small grounds or fitting into vacancies among 
larger specimens these low shrubs serve a most 
valuable purpose. They require but little 
space, and need only to be cut back to pre- 
serve a well-balanced head. The plant is a 
CILIS - native of Japan. 

D. parviflora. — This is as yet so little known as to be 
still classed among the novelties. It is a native of north- 
ern China, and was carried from the valley of the Amoor 



DEUTZIA GRA- 



Deutzia. 7 

to the Imperial Botanic Garden of St. Petersburg, from 
which point it has, within a few years, been distributed 
throughout Europe and America. It grows in clumps, 
consisting of numerous erect stems or branches from four 
to six feet in length, which are clothed with dark green 
leaves, lanceolate, toothed, somewhat wrinkled, and of 
good substance. The flowers are creamy-white, com- 
posed of five petals, and without any splashes of color, the 
bunches somewhat resembling in size and arrangement 
those of the lilac. They appear a week or two before 
those of D. gracilis, which has heretofore been supposed 
to be the earliest as well as most floriferous of all the 
deutzias, and about a month in advance of most other 
varieties. 

D. lemoinei is a hybrid between the gracilis and the 
parviflora, and was brought out by Monsieur Lemoine, 
the noted hybridist, who has done so much to add to the 
pleasures of horticulture and the brilliancy of our gardens. 
The plant is described as having stouter and more up- 
right branches than the gracilis, and shorter and more 
numerous than those of the parviflora. The blossoms are 
about three quarters of an inch in diameter, and are borne 
in loose, many-flowered terminal panicles on axillary leafy 
shoots, with pure white, broadly ovate-rounded, spreading 
petals and reddish-yellow stamens. This is believed to 
be an improvement on the almost universally popular 
D. gracilis, and destined to largely supersede it as it 
becomes better known. 

D. discolor, var. piirpurasccns, is, perhaps, the latest 
hopeful introduction among the deutzias to our country. 



8 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



According to Garden and Forest the seeds of this plant 
were sent to the museum in Paris in 1888, by a French 
missionary who had discovered it in the Chinese province 
of Yun-nan. A specimen was secured by the Arnold 




DEUTZ1A— PRIDE OF ROCHESTER. 



Arboretum at Cambridge, where it has flowered two or 
three years. It is described as " a shrub of neat, compact 
habit, two or three feet tall, with slender stems, thin, ovate 
leaves scabrous on the upper surface, and compact panicles 
of pale pink flowers." It is not yet known that it will 
endure our northern winters. The place of its nativity 



Clethra — Sweet Pepper-Bush. 9 

has a semi-tropical climate, and whether suited to New- 
England and the Northwest or not, there appears to 
be little doubt that it will thrive in the southern and 
southwestern States, and prove a valuable acquisition. 

One of the best of the older varieties, known as the 
Pride of Rochester, was originated and sent out by the 
well-known firm of nurserymen, Messrs. Ellwanger and 
Barry, as an offshoot of D. crenata flore pleno. Though 
but a comparatively recent introduction, its merits are 
such that it has already become widely and highly appre- 
ciated. It carries large, double, white flowers, some parts 
of the petals being slightly tinted with scarlet or rose, and 
is said to excel all the older sorts in size of flower, length 
of panicle, profuseness of bloom, and vigorous habit. It 
comes into flower soon after the gracilis and a week or two 
in advance of most of the other forms of deutzia. 

CLETHRA— Sweet Pepper-Bush. 

THE clethras are highly ornamental shrubs, though 
until quite recently they have not received the 
attention which their merits demand. So far as 
known, they are all American plants, and most of them 
suitable for use in our best gardens, where they are now 
becoming better known and more largely planted than 
heretofore. The species capable of the best service in the 
northern States and Canada is C. alnifolia, a small shrub 
two to four feet high, but in cultivation sometimes reach- 
ing double those proportions. It is often found in masses, 
growing in low or wet places, or along the banks of 
streams, and sometimes in swamps, where the roots are 



IO 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



submerged in early spring or after heavy rains. But it is 
known that the plant does equally well, even if not better, 
in garden soils such as are suitable to the rhododendrons 
and other peat-loving plants. It grows with a slender, 




CLETHRA ALNIFOLIA. 



straight stem, not much branched, the bark being at first 
light green and downy, but afterward becoming a dark 
purple and often striped with gray. The leaves are in- 
versely egg-shaped and slightly pubescent, while the blos- 
soms are borne in terminal racemes and from the axils of 
the upper leaves and side shoots. They are large, white, 
and very showy, and when present in masses never fail to 



Clethra — Sweet Pepper-Bush. n 

attract attention. The racemes, which stand erect above 
the bright, glossy leaves, begin to open in July and con- 
tinue until October, thus supplying the dullest period of 
the summer, so far as hardy shrubs are concerned, with 
abundant blossoms of the highest value. They are withal 
exceedingly sweet-scented, giving forth an odor not at all 
disagreeable, but such as makes the plant popularly known 
as the sweet pepper-bush. It does well in half-shady 
situations, and cannot be too highly praised for use in 
landscape work, whether grown in masses or as single 
specimens. 

C. acuminata is also a native of the United States, 
and is often seen growing on the mountains of North 
Carolina and other similar locations, where it usually 
appears as a small shrub of from four to six feet. It is 
not much known to cultivation in this country, though 
planted in English gardens and on the continent, where 
it is quite a favorite. It is there spoken of as a plant 
growing in tree form, and from ten to fifteen feet high. 
The leaves are more oval than those of the preceding, and 
more sharply pointed, having a bluish cast above and be- 
ing slightly glaucous beneath. The flower spikes are large 
and conspicuous, though not superior to those of alnifolia. 
C. paniculata is also a good plant, but in nowise superior 
to those already described, the chief distinction being in 
the form of the flowers, which are gathered in panicles 
not quite so compact, and slight differences in the shape 
of the leaves. C. arborea is a more tender species, and 
has been long grown in English greenhouses, though it 
usually thrives when planted outside, if afforded ample 



i2 Ornamental Shrubs. 

protection. As it, too, is indigenous to the Carolinas, it 
is altogether probable that it would be a popular open- 
garden plant farther south, and it is possibly already more 
or less in use in that section. It is said it has the disad- 
vantage of requiring considerable age before coming to 
perfection as a flowering plant. But, like all the others, 
it blooms nearly all summer. There are other tender 
sorts, some of which are prized for cultivation under glass, 
but none superior to those already named. 

CALYCANTHUS. 

THE members of the calycanthus family constitute 
a small genus of North American plants, mostly 
confined to the United States, where in their 
native haunts they are popularly known as Carolina all- 
spice from the fragrance of their flowers as well as of their 
foliage. Indeed the whole shrub emits a spicy perfume 
somewhat resembling camphor, including the stem and 
more especially the smaller branches when bruised or 
broken. They are more frequently found along the shady 
banks of streams where there is plenty of moisture, and 
in situations protected from severe winds, but prove suf- 
ficiently robust to maintain themselves in all parts of the 
temperate zones ; though varying in size and attractiveness 
according to the positions occupied. They are all interest- 
ing plants and worthy a place in every considerable 
collection of shrubs and trees. As under-shrubs they 
do good service whether planted singly or in masses. 

C.floridus. — This is the longest- and best-known species 
and was described by Loudon in his copious notes on the 



Calycanthus. 



13 




American sylva. It was introduced to English gardens as 
early as 1826, where it has since held its own and is still a 
favorite. The plant forms a small compact bush four to 
six feet in height, though it is oc- 
casionally much taller. The foliage 
is composed of oblong-shaped 
leaves, deep green, inclined to be 
coriaceous, and slightly downy. 
The blossoms are deep blue shad- 
ing to purple, one and a half inches 
across, with petals somewhat fleshy. 
They appear early in spring, remain 
well into summer, and are quite 
numerous. Their long continu- 
ance is very much in their favor. 
Taken all in all, this calycanthus 
may be accepted as one of the best of our native shrubs. 
C. glaucus is, it may be, a less valuable plant, but is 
possessed of some interesting features that are worthy of 
notice. It is not so strongly impregnated with the peculiar 
odor referred to when its leaves or branches are bruised or 
crushed, but it is still fragrant to a remarkable degree. 
The flowers are much the same, lurid blue, and of equally 
long continuance. The leaves are longer, more sharply 
pointed, and with more marked pubescence. C. Itevigahis 
is found growing freely on some of the Pennsylvania 
mountains, with taper-pointed leaves, bright green and 
glabrous. The flowers are intense purple and quite showy. 
Each of these has given off varieties more or less distinct, 
but scarcely of increased value. 



SWEET-SCENTED SHRUB. 
(calycanthus floridus.) 



H 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



C. occidentalis is a native of the Pacific coast, and 
more especially of California, where it grows to a greater 
size than either of the preceding and is often found 
nearly or quite twelve feet high. It is there known as the 
sweet-scented shrub, as in fragrance it is much the same 
as C. floridus. The foliage is composed of larger leaves, 
and the flowers are also of greater proportions, being some 
three inches in diameter and of a deep crimson color. It 
proves the most showy of all the species and a most 
desirable plant for garden use. 

EXOCHORDA— Pearl Bush. 

THIS is a genus of but a few species belonging to 
the Rosacea and closely related to the spiraeas. It 
is a native of China and has long been known, 
though not brought into general cultivation until more re- 
cently. Its popular name comes from the fact that it is a 
free bloomer, the flowers being pearly-white, and covering 
the entire bush. It endures the New 
Ensfland climate, though in the North 
it usually grows but eight or ten feet, 
while in the South it often becomes 
a shrub or tree of twice these propor- 
tions. Most of the specimens to be 
found in parks and gardens do not ap- 
pear at their best, except in the flower- 
ing season, as they are permitted to 
grow without proper pruning. The 
exochorda is not seen to advantage when out of bloom, un- 
less it is kept in the form of a compact bush. Left to itself 




EXOCHORDA GRANDIFLORA. 



Sambucus- -The Elder. 15 

it inclines to naked stems and branches and such as are by 
no means graceful. In fact, as ordinarily grown, its beauty 
consists only in the numerous large white flowers in April or 
May ; and these are not of long continuance. It has cer- 
tainly been overpraised in some of the catalogues, but is well 
worthy a place in the border or shrubbery. It has been 
suggested that lower and more bushy plants be grown in 
front and around it to hide its faults, while securine the 
full benefit of its blossoms, which alone make it worthy of 
planting. 

SAMBUCUS— The Elder. 

THE elders are closely related to the viburnums and 
honeysuckles, which are among the most useful 
and attractive ornamental plants. There are not 
far from twenty species belonging to the family, and some 
of them have done and are still doing- good service to 
mankind as useful plants, while a few, especially of the 
varieties, are exceedingly beautiful in leaf and blossom. 

.S. nigra, or black elder, is a native of Britain, and is 
found growing freely all over the continent, where its fruit 
has long been much used in the manufacture of wines and 
the preparation of medicines, and sometimes as an article 
of food. The regard which was had for this shrub was 
well expressed by Evelyn when he wrote : "If the 
medicinal properties of the leaves, bark, berries, etc., 
were thoroughly known, I cannot tell what our country- 
men would ail for which he might not fetch a remedy 
from every hedge, either for sickness or wound." This 
high estimate of its virtues may not have continued to 



i6 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



our own times, but the good qualities are still recognized 
in many directions. In extreme cases the European el- 
der grows to a height of from twenty to twenty-five feet, 
with a well-rounded, bushy head half as broad. The 
flowers are small, white, and in flat cymes five or six inches 
across, followed by small, black, berry-like fruit, in great 
abundance. 

There are several varieties of this species which are 
especially ornamental in European as well as in American 

gardens. One of these, S. n. 
aurea, golden elder, is one 
of the very best yellow-foli- 
age plants in use for decora- 
tive purposes. The color is 
solid and far more perma- 
nent than with many others 
which start out well and 
then fade away. For best 
effects it must occupy a 
sunny position, and be well 
pinched back, so as to com- 
pel a dwarfish habit. Thus 
planted and maintained, when grown in masses it is un- 
excelled. Another sort, S. n. laciniata, or parsley-leaved 
elder, has its leaflets curiously and finely cut into segments, 
which retain their natural color, and produce a good 
effect. It, too, is a fine shrub for massing or edging. S. n. 
variegata has its foliage in the typical form, but marked 
with white, the contrasts being so sharp as to render the 
plant a decided curiosity as well as a thing of beauty. 




CUT-LEAVED ELDER. 



Sambucus — The Elder. 17 

There are several other well-known varieties, but their 
merits as ornamental shrubs are inferior to those already 
named. 

S. canadensis is the well-known common elder of 
America, found everywhere from Canada to the Gulf 
States, growing preferably in moist locations, but making 
itself quite at home in the fence corners and by the road- 
side, wherever given a chance to grow. Its pithy stems, 
well bunched, are from five to ten feet high, having 
compound leaves with from five to eleven leaflets, mostly 
smooth and three-parted. The flowers are white, gathered 
in flat cymes, and succeeded by dark purple or black fruit, 
which is often used in the manufacture of domestic wine, 
for which it has especial adaptations, and occasionally for 
making tarts and pies where more desirable berries are not 
to be obtained. This species appears to have a wider 
range southward than most of the members of the tribe. 
S. racemosa, another American species, runs wild over a 
large extent of country, having red berries instead of 
purple, but not differing essentially otherwise from the 
preceding. 

The value of the elder as a seaside plant can scarcely 
be overestimated, both as a nurse tree and because of its 
own merits as very ornamental. Says an English writer : 
" Isolated specimens of it may be seen far out on the 
dreary stretches of ever-shifting sand, and looking as 
healthy and robust as we find them in their favored locality 
— a damp, shady wood. There is not much beauty, some 
will say, about the elder, though I hold a different opinion ; 
but beauty alone, it should be kept in mind, is not what 



1 8 Ornamental Shrubs. 

we are at present in quest of ; rather a tree or shrub that 
can stand the first brunt of a sea storm, and by so doing 
afford shelter to less favored kinds. Whenever a seaside 
garden is to be formed, lift a few plants of an elder from 
some waste or common, and plant them — in pure sand, if 
you like — on the outer margin of the sea screen, and in a 
short time a capital shelter for other choice things will be 
formed." 

PAULOWNIA. 

THE Paulownia imperialis is a Japanese tree of 
striking appearance and with many peculiarities. 
It was named by Europeans, on becoming ac- 
quainted with it, in honor of Anna Paulowna, Princess of 
the Netherlands and daughter of Paul I., Emperor of 
Russia. It is said that in its native country it grows to a 
height of thirty feet, but it is not often seen in such pro- 
portions in either Europe or America. When first brought 
to France the tropical appearance of its foliage led to the 
conclusion that it must be an exceedingly tender sort, and 
so in the famous Garden of Plants in Paris it was treated 
as a greenhouse shrub. But it was not long before it 
proved itself sufficiently hardy to withstand the winters 
of that locality. It was then regarded as a great acquisi- 
tion, and young plants were sold in the English markets 
at high prices, ranging from three to six guineas each. 
But these figures did not rule long, for it was soon as- 
certained that the newcomer was not only hardy, but of 
the easiest possible propagation. It can be grown not 
only from seed and from cuttings, but by a division of the 



Paulownia. 



: 9 



roots, small pieces of which will produce vigorous plants 
the first season. Even the buds will grow, like those of 




PAULOWNIA IMPERIALIS. 



the mulberry, if taken off in the spring and planted in a 
hotbed or under a hand-glass. 

Few plants are of more rapid growth, the young shoots 



20 Ornamental Shrubs. 

often reaching eight feet the first season. These are 
covered with immense foliage, the individual leaves being 
somewhat heart-shaped and a foot and a half broad by 
two feet long. 

Though the paulownia does fairly well in New England 
and New York, it should be planted there only in protected 
situations, for its top is too large to withstand severe wind- 
storms. The tree is more especially adapted to a warmer 
climate, and should be entirely at home in the Southern 
States. Says an English writer in one of the magazines : 
" To see the paulownia to perfection in Europe one must go 
to the sunny South, and I have a pleasing recollection of 
the magnificent avenues I saw of it in full flower at the end 
of April in the gardens of the Villa Borghese and the 
Pincian Hill in Rome, where the climate exactly suits it." 
It should be borne in mind that it may be grown as a tree 
or a shrub, as when it is cut back from year to year it sends 
up numerous vigorous shoots, and as few or as many may 
be preserved as are desired, and they are never more 
beautiful than during the first season's growth. 

Except for their size, the leaves very much resemble 
those of the Catalpa speciosa, but are of a darker green and 
better substance. It is for the foliage more than the flower 
that the tree is prized by those who best know its worth. 
On older trees the leaves are usually smaller, and so less 
beautiful. For two reasons the tree to be at its best must 
be sharply cut back every season — one the preservation of 
good form, and the other of good foliage. An old and mis- 
shapen paulownia with distorted and bare limbs is like a 
plague spot in any garden, and those who are accustomed 



Myrica. 2 1 

to see it in that shape will certainly come to the conclusion 
that the tree has been and is still much overpraised. There 
is scarcely room for carrying this pruning process too far ; 
for if the last year's wood is cut to the ground in early 
spring, new shoots will put forth and soon reach six to 
ten feet, and thus become a thing of beauty scarcely 
equalled on the lawn or in the border. When wished, 
the trunk may be pollarded, and thus the head carried 
as much higher as desired. The individual flowers are 
about one and a half to two inches long, violet-purple, 
with dark spots inside, and in terminal panicles of great 
size. While not especially beautiful, these never fail to 
attract attention. They appear in June, and are followed 
by abundant fruit. 

MYRICA. 

THOUGH this is not one of the most beautiful of 
American shrubs, it is for some purposes and in 
some situations one of the most useful. The 
family is a large one, though only a few species are known 
in America. They grow in all sorts of soil and far to the 
north, often taking possession of the hillsides and sandy 
plains, and so fully occupying the ground as to be regarded 
a nuisance, especially if the land is wanted for something 
else. There is a common saying that the roots extend as 
deeply into the ground as the stems and branches do into 
the air. However this may be, they evidently come to 
stay, and in their tenacity and indifference to situation is 
found one of their virtues when they come to be utilized 
as garden plants. The best of these, as well as the most 



22 Ornamental Shrubs. 

common, is M. cerifera. It varies in height from one to 
four feet, but responds quickly when afforded the advan- 
tages of cultivation and the use of fertilizers. The plant 
may be recognized at the proper season by its bluish 
waxen fruit, found in the axils of the stems and along the 
branches, which to some extent affords an article of com- 
merce in the form of a valuable wax. This little shrub 
when planted along the shore withstands the ocean winds 
and storms perhaps better than any other plant known in 
cultivation, and can be made to do good service in estab- 
lishing plantations by the seaside. It is now coming 
largely into use for that purpose, as it affords protection 
to more attractive specimens which may be planted to the 
leeward. Beginning with a hedge of these myricas, planta- 
tions may often be established where without something 
of this nature the task would be hopeless. Almost any 
bleak and barren exposure can be covered in this way and 
become comparatively beautiful. With this line of de- 
fence other shrubs and flowers may be introduced and 
made to thrive where without such protection nothing 
desirable could be made to grow. Thus the wax-myrtle, 
in itself unattractive and undesirable, is made of especial 
service in the planting of exposed estates. In the Royal 
Palm nurseries located forty miles south of Tampa it is 
included among the native plants of that section, and 
described as an evergreen producing " slate-colored ber- 
ries," and pronounced hardy throughout the entire South. 
Such being the case, the myricas will doubtless be found of 
service as nurse trees, or shrubs, on sandy and bleak bar- 
rens, against tropical exposures as well as northern blasts. 



24 Ornamental Shrubs. 

M. asplenifolia, commonly known as the sweet-fern, 
also thrives in poor soils and is a good seaside plant. It 
has fern-like foliage, more attractive than that of the ceri- 
fera, while its flowers, which are freely produced, are really 
beautiful. It grows about three feet high and is coming 
to be planted for its own sake in the ordinary garden. 
M. gale is another form with cut-leaved foliage which is 
fragrant. It rises about three or four feet and helps cover 
many a New England hillside with verdure. 

AZALEA. 

THE azaleas are among the most beautiful and in- 
teresting of all our flowering plants. They have 
been long known in the Old World, and have 
always been objects of admiration. The genus belongs 
to the natural order Ericacece, and in many of its char- 
acteristics is allied to the rhododendrons, though mostly 
having deciduous leaves, and flowers with five stamens 
instead of ten. There are numerous species and varie- 
ties, some hardy and others suited only to hothouse 
culture. 

A. pontica has been, perhaps, longer known to civil- 
ization than any other, and it is certainly one of the most 
attractive of the family. Its native habitat appears to 
have been in the countries about the Black Sea and along 
the northern shores of the Mediterranean. In later years 
it has been carried to all parts of Europe, and largely 
cultivated wherever the climate will allow. The plants 
grow from three to five feet, often presenting a broad, 
round head, with large, oblong, glossy leaves, and masses 



Azalea. 25 

of blossoms, with which the branches are so completely 
covered as to be almost hidden from sight. The flowers 
are somewhat funnel-shaped, with long stamens, and 
among the numerous varieties are flowers of many colors. 
They are very fragrant, appearing in May or early June. 
Unfortunately, the species is not entirely hardy, and in 
many situations needs winter protection. Almost every 
part of the plant is narcotic, and to some degree poison- 
ous. Honey gathered from its flowers is known to produce 
stupefaction in the bees that gather it, and sometimes 
death. It is believed to have been such honey that 
caused the delirium among the soldiers of Xenophon's 
army, and compelled the famous retreat that has figured 
so prominently in ancient history. 

A. indica is indigenous to the East Indies, and is 
common to China and Japan. Since its introduction to 
Europe and America it has been largely grown under 
glass, as it is too tender for our northern winters, though it 
may do well in the South. The flowers are mostly soli- 
tary, and always very beautiful. Its chief value to us in 
open-air cultivation has been the impartation of its splen- 
did colors to the varieties produced by crossing with 
hardier sorts, and there are enough such hybrids to meet 
all the requirements in this direction. 

A. mollis is a somewhat recent introduction from 
Japan, which has been received with much favor. It 
proves to be adapted to forcing under glass, but, as it is 
hardy, its chief cultivation is in the open air. It is of 
low, spreading growth, so that its diameter is often 
greater than its height. It is sometimes grafted so as to 



26 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



appear in tree form, thus affording a round, well-shaped 

head on an upright stem, at such height as may be de- 
sired. With the Japanese it is said 
to be the favorite among azaleas, 
and is largely grown. It rises to a 
height of three to four feet, having 
deciduous leaves, elliptic in form, 
with ciliated margins, green above 
and almost silvery-gray beneath. 
The flowers of the type are cam- 
panulate, somewhat downy, and 
flame-colored. But some of the 
varieties produced from seedlings 
and by hybridization furnish gor- 
geous blossoms of white, yellow, 
and orange, each in some cases 
more or less tinted. They appear 

early and, being large, are very showy. The A. mollis 

needs only to be known to 

be appreciated as among the 

best of the class. 

A. nudiflora, known as 

the wood-honeysuckle, is an 

excellent little shrub for 

planting in the border or in 

groups. It is of American 

origin, and is quite common 

in most parts of the United 

States. In some respects it 

resembles the pontica and its hybrids, but is quite inferior 




AZALEA MOLLIS. 




AZALEA NUDIFLORA. 



Azalea. 27 

in brilliancy and tone. Its numerous flowers are large 
and very showy, presenting a beautiful appearance in 
early spring. The shrub is taller than the preceding and 
much more hardy, as it endures the climate as far north 
as Canada. It grows well in any good soil, and needs 
but little care. The flowers are light pink, and appear 
about the middle of May. The shrub grows to a height 
of six to ten feet. 

A. calendulacea is a native of the high mountains of 
North Carolina and other Southern States, where it often 
grows in such profusion as to make the mountainsides 
appear, from a little distance, as though covered with a robe 
of scarlet. It is of larger growth than most other species, 
either native or foreign, and has the peculiarity of blossom- 
ing late in the summer, after all the others have ceased to 
show color. It is popularly known, from the gorgeousness 
of its hues, as the great flame azalea — a name not at 
all inappropriate, in view of its crowded mass of scarlet 
blossoms. Many regard it as the most beautiful of all the 
native American plants, and not wholly without reason. 
In England and continental Europe it awakened great 
enthusiasm when first introduced, and it is still regarded 
as one of the very best of the flowering shrubs. 

A. arbor escens, or the tree-like azalea, grows from twelve 
to twenty feet high, and is supposed to be the largest 
member of the family. It also is of American origin, and pro- 
duces reddish flowers, in themselves attractive but less bril- 
liant than those of most of the species already mentioned. 
It is, however, worthy of cultivation in the border, which 
it greatly helps to enliven with color in early springtime. 



28 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



A. viscosa is another native species, popularly known 
as the swamp-honeysuckle, or the pinxter, having highly 
fragrant, white, clammy flowers. It is too familiar 
to need detailed description, and, though not equal to 
many of the others, is in itself an interesting shrub. A 
variety designated as A. v. nitida has its white flowers 
tinged with red, and is worthy of cultivation. It is smaller 
than the type, and, like it, is found mostly in swamps, 
though thriving in any good garden soil. 

The so-called Ghent azaleas are probably now in more 
general cultivation than any others. They are hybrids of 

the pontica, and indica 
with A . calendulacea, 
and perhaps other 
hardy species, and so 
combine the beauty of 
the one type with the 
strength and vigor of 
the other. This work 
of crossing has been car- 
ried on to such an ex- 
tent and with such skill 
that a new class has been 
established of the most 
beautiful plants to be found in the gardens of the world. 
Most of them are perfectly hardy, and are grown in the 
vicinity of Boston and Chicago, without especial protection 
from the hot sun in summer or the intense cold of winter. 
Of course those offered in the market are grafted or 
budded, and the varieties are so many that it is impracti- 




HYBRID AZALEA. 



Azalea. 



29 



cable to describe them, and the more so as new forms are 
constantly appearing. It will be sufficient to name some 
of the most desirable sorts, indicating their colors and 
such other peculiarities as may be of importance : Admiral 
de Ruyten, dark rose ; Alba Lutea Grandiflora, large, white 
and yellow ; Amabilis, rose-orange ; Aurantiaca, orange 
scarlet ; Aurore de Royghem, large, orange and pink ; 
Bicolor, orange-yellow and white ; Bouquet de Flore, 
pink and white ; Bronze Unique, dark rose, orange ; 
Comble de Gloire, fine, rose, light orange ; Concinna, dark 
orange ; Conspicua Grandiflora, rose-orange ; Cruenta, 
fine, scarlet ; Cymodocee, scarlet-crimson ; Dr. Gray, Flush- 
ing seedling, large, scarlet-orange ; Emilie, splendid dark 
crimson ; Flushing Queen, Flushing seedling, deep salmon ; 
Gloria Mundi, scarlet-orange ; Grand Due de Luxemburg, 
fine, rose and orange ; Jules Caesar, dark rose and orange ; 
La Superba, rose-orange; L' Interessante, rose-orange; 
Macrantha, large, yellow ; M irabilis, rose-pink ; Ne Plus 
Ultra, extra, orange ; Othello, splendid, rose ; Penicellata 
Stellata, straw and salmon, late ; Plumosa, light pink-orange, 
early ; Punicea, crimson-scarlet ; Quadricolor, light rose 
and yellow ; Reine des Pays-Bas, extra, crimson-scarlet ; 
Richardii, light pink and yellow ; Rosea Rotundifolia, 
large, rose-orange ; Triomphans, buff, rose and orange ; 
Vandyck, dark crimson and scarlet ; Vesuvius, splendid 
rose-orange ; Viscocephalum, white, very fragrant ; W. C. 
Bryant, Flushing seedling, deep pink. 

A. amcena. — This beautiful plant heads another group 
of azaleas, with, as a rule, smaller but not less choice flow- 
ers, that are coming into especial prominence. Though 



30 Ornamental Shrubs. 

not widely known, it is highly esteemed in the best gardens 
of Newport, where it may be seen in considerable num- 
bers and always in effective combinations. It is a low, 
bushy shrub from China, from two to four feet high and 
of a spreading habit, so that its diameter is, or can be 
made, almost equal to its height. The evergreen foliage 
is composed of a multitude of small leaves, which become 
bronzy-lilac or purple in winter, and lose none of their 
beauty, even under the severest climatic tests. In April 
or May the bush is covered with masses of rich crimson 
and purple blossoms, about one to one and a half inches 
across, and exceedingly attractive. Planted in groups or 
in rows by the pathway, it is effective the year round, and 
all the more valuable because of its winter garb. There 
is a variety known as Caldwelli, held to be of freer growth 
than the original, whose blossoms are nearly twice as 
large. It is not much known in America, but in England 
and on the continent is said to be crowding the typical 
form for the supremacy. Either of these makes ex- 
cellent borders for rhododendron beds or the larger 
azaleas, and is an acquisition for the conservatory as well 
as for garden cultivation. 

An English writer through the London Garden speaks 
of some of the newer forms of the azalea, most of which 
are scarcely known in this country, if at all, and his account 
of these is made the basis of the descriptions and charac- 
terizations which follow. A. caycifiora resembles the 
amoena in the hose-in-hose conformation of the flower, 
but differs totally from it in the color of the blossoms, 
which are brio-ht salmon-red with a distinct orange shade. 



Azalea. 



31 



It is an introduction from Japan, a decided acquisition to 
the azalea family, and certain to be more extensively 
grown when better known. A. obtusa is another of these 
low-growing forms, without the enlarged segments so 
noticeable in the case of the preceding. The color is 




AZALEA ROS/EFLORA. 



much the same, and may be characterized as an orange- 
red. A variety of this species has blossoms which are 
pure white, or occasionally striped with red. The flowers 
are brought forth in great profusion. It is said to have 
come from China and not to be entirely hardy in exposed 
situations. A. rosceflora is quite distinct from any other 
azalea, but may not prove to be entirely hardy in northern 



32 Ornamental Shrubs. 

localities. The flowers are of a pleasing shade of salmon- 
pink, larger than is usual with this class of shrubs, very 
double, and imbricated. Its specific name comes from the 
fact that its buds resemble those of the rose when beginning 
to expand. For forcing and in southern latitudes it must 
prove a distinct gain. It is best grown in partial shade. 
It is known also as A. balsamince flora. 

In addition to these there is a numerous progeny of 
crosses and hybrids, mostly between the amcena and some 
of the indica section, and, as might be expected, some of 
these are of a striking character. In habit they are mostly 
midway between the two parents, the amcena affording 
the elements of strength and endurance, and the indica 
brilliancy and charm of color. Among the best of the 
early sorts thus produced and brought to the attention of 
the public are Mrs. Carmichael, named in honor of the 
wife of the hybridizer, with purple flowers ; Duke of Con- 
naught, dark rose ; Princess Beatrice, pale mauve ; Wil- 
liam Carmichael, carmine suffused with magenta ; and Miss 
Buist, pure white. Later on other experimenters have 
brought forward the Duchess of Albany, pure white and 
semi-double ; Illuminator, rose-magenta, with vermilion 
centre ; Fosterianum, white and very large, with lemon 
tint in centre ; Hexe, a free-flowering sort and said to be 
one of the best of all. But it is of little use to continue 
the list of varieties, which are every year increasing in 
numbers, though not always in character. Enough have 
been named to show the possibilities in this direction, and 
they are certainly full of promise. 



Forsythia. 33 

FORSYTHIA. 

THE forsythias, coming from China and Japan, be- 
long to the order Oleacece, and have long been in 
cultivation in English gardens, the name of the 
genus having been applied in the last century, in honor of 
William Forsyth, the king's gardener at Kensington for 
many years. There are but few species or varieties known 
to us in cultivation, but all that are thus employed prove 
to be charming plants, and of especial worth because of 
their season of flowering and the situations which they 
may be made to occupy to advantage. The flowers are 
solitary, bright yellow, and very numerous, and so dis- 
tributed along the branches as to often cover the entire 
bush. These are produced on the wood of the previous 
year's growth, and it sometimes occurs that people who do 
not appreciate this fact prune their plants in winter, thus 
removing nearly all the flowering wood, and then complain 
that their forsythias do not meet their anticipations. 
These plants need to be severely cut back each year, but 
it should be done at the close of their flowering season, 
which is before the foliage fully puts out rather than after. 
Nearly all the wood of the year preceding should be cut 
away, and the knife may be used without fear of doing 
harm, as new branches will quickly take the places of 
those removed. All the forsythias are rapid growers, and 
the long, slender branches, newly formed, carry foliage suf- 
ficiently attractive to justify the highest expectations in 
seeking a desirable plant of its proportions. When occa- 
sion requires, the shrub may be trained on a wall or fence 
and made to cover a considerable space. It is equally 



34 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



fitted to be formed into a round, compact head, as is often 
done in the best gardens. 

F. veridissima takes its specific name from the bright 
green leaves which it carries, rather than from the color of 
its flowers, which are golden-yellow and among the first to 
appear in spring. This is the plant longest and best 
known in our gardens, and the species 
which drew so many praises from 
flower-lovers a hundred years ago and 
which were by no means unmerited. 
It is of erect, spreading habit, and 
entirely hardy. F. suspensa differs 
but little from the other form, except 
that its long, slender branches are 
slightly pendant at their terminals, 
and so are by many esteemed more 
graceful. The blossoms may not be 
quite so numerous, but the plant as a 
whole is fully as good, though not 
especially to be preferred except for 
training on walls or trellises where it 
will have a wider spread. A corre- 
spondent in Meeharis Monthly gave an account, some time 
since, of an instance where a plant was kept to a single 
stem for ten feet, and then allowed to spread on the trellis, 
where it did good service by way of affording shade to a 
doorway which was too sunny an exposure. This illustrates 
its capabilities in that direction. The plant is sometimes 
catalogued under the names F. fortunei and F. sieboldi, 
but these are to be regarded merely as synonyms. 




WEEPING GOLDEN BELL. 

(forsythia suspensa.) 



Desfontainea. 35 

DIRCA — Leatherwood. 

TH E popular name for the Dirca palustris is leather- 
wood. This usually grows in the form of a small 
tree and to a height of but from three to five 
feet. It is a native of America and though originally 
found in moist, peaty soils, can be successfully cultivated 
under ordinary conditions. The flowers appear early in 
the season in advance of the foliage. They are yellow 
with a greenish cast, in terminal bunches, and quite pretty. 
The leaves are lanceolate in shape, and of a yellowish- 
green color. The leatherwood is especially interesting 
from the peculiarities of the thick, porous bark, which is 
so soft as to yield to the touch like so much putty, though 
resuming its shape when the pressure is removed. But, 
while being thus pliant and porous, it has such great strength 
that a strip half an inch in width is said to be too much 
for an ordinary man to break. It was formerly used by 
the Indians for strings to their bows, and for fish-lines. 
The miniature tree is more valuable as a curiosity than 
anything else. 

DESFONTAINEA. 

THERE is but one species known in cultivation, 
D. spinosa, which is a native of South America, 
having been first discovered on the mountains of 
Chili, whence it was carried to Europe and received with 
considerable favor. It belongs to the natural order Lo- 
ganiacece and in many respects bears close resemblance 
to certain members of the holly family. The shrub is a 
low grower, much branched, and in the milder districts 



36 Ornamental Shrubs. 

very much at home, though it cannot be safely planted in 
New England unless especial protection is afforded in 
winter. The foliage is thick and glossy like that of the 
English holly, the leaves being entire and armed with 
spines of considerable prominence. The flowers are at 
the ends of the branches, solitary, and appearing as late 
as August. They are bright scarlet, shaded with yellow, 
and in tubular form, often covering the entire bush, which 
grows to the height of from two to three feet. As seen 
in English gardens, Nicholson pronounces it " a very 
beautiful, hardy evergreen shrub of easy cultivation." It 
will thrive in any good garden soil, and its presence in the 
border in winter helps enliven one's home surroundings. 
Too many of this class of plants cannot well be employed 
where a favorable outlook is desired in winter as well as 
summer. 

HYDRANGEA. 

THE hydrangeas are among our best ornamental 
shrubs and are widely distributed. They are of 
the order Saxifrages, and the genus includes 
between thirty and forty species, natives of the Hima- 
layas, the island of Java, China, Japan, the United States, 
and perhaps other countries. Some are evergreens and 
some deciduous, and nearly all are beautiful and interest- 
ing. In our Northern States only a few are sufficiently 
hardy to be grown freely in the open ground ; but farther 
south the very best sorts can be cultivated in ordinary gar- 
dens without difficulty. As a rule the American species 
are hardier, but not of so good flowers or foliage as some 



Hydrangea. 37 

that come from China and Japan, though they seem to 
be about all that can be desired. Nearly all have laro-e 
and broadly ovate leaves, pointed and slightly serrated, 
and would prove valuable plants if grown for their foliao-e 
alone. The blossoms are disposed in cymes, corymbs, 
and panicles, and are distinguished for their size as well 
as beauty. The forms with sterile flowers, with an en- 
larged calyx, are to be preferred, and these are almost 
the only ones in use, their propagation being chiefly from 
cuttings or bv division of roots. 

H. hortensia. — This is a species most freely planted 
in gardens, and popularly known as the changeable hy- 
drangea. It is a native of eastern Asia, and was intro- 
duced from China to England late in the last century, 
where it was mostlv cultivated under glass and given 
special protection, as it was found too tender for that try- 
ing climate. There are now said to be a few localities 
where it can be depended upon outside in ordinary 
winters with proper care, but it is still looked upon as 
suited chiefly to conservatory cultivation. In the north- 
ern United States it requires much the same treatment, 
and for the same reason. And so it is mostly seen in 
tubs or pots as it appears on the lawns or in borders, 
where it is always showy, and in readiness, when autumn 
comes, for removal to the pit or cellar. It is thus grown 
in New E no-land even more freelv than in the South, 
where less care and attention are required in its use. It 
has large, ovate leaves, acute at both ends, serrated, and 
of good substance. The flowers are collected in nearly 
round balls four to six inches through, appearing in July 



38 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



and continuing a month or more. The color is not only 
variable, but changeable as the season advances. It 
ranges through mild shades of creamy-white to pink and 
blue, and is always beautiful. It is coming to be quite 
the custom, where large plants are standing in the open 




HYDRANGEA HORTENSIA. 



garden, to prepare and protect them for winter without 
removal, which in such cases is somewhat difficult. This 
is done by bending the branches to the ground as nearly as 
possible, and covering with earth in the form of a mound. 
Some of the largest and finest plants in Newport have 
been treated in this way for a succession of years, and it 
is seldom that losses occur through this process. There 



Hydrangea. 39 

are numerous varieties of H. hortensia which are worthy 
of special notice, and some of which are largely in use. 
Among these is the well-known H. otaksa, with opposite, 
deeply serrated leaves and beautiful rose- or flesh-colored 
flowers. It is held to be one of the best forms of the 
whole group. The Thomas Hogg has pure white blos- 
soms, very large and compact and very showy for a long 
time, and is one of the very best. H. asizia has varie- 
gated foliage, which lends variety in grouping, but supplies 
no additional flower charms. H. Empress Eugenie has 
good foliage and very large corymbs of blue and pale rose- 
colored flowers, and should not be overlooked. H rosalba 
has its blossoms in smaller heads, but they usually cover 
the whole bush. They are white and pale rose, coming 
to perfection in advance of most of the others. 

H. ramulis coccineis, known as the red-stemmed hy- 
drangea, proves a very valuable acquisition, as it produces 
large trusses of well-formed blossoms, rich, pink or deep 
rose in color, and in great profusion. It is comparatively 
new, having originated in western New York within a few 
years. H. rosea is much the same as Thomas Hogg, ex- 
cept that its blossoms are red instead of white. Alba 
variegata and speciosa are forms with silvery-white marks 
on the foliage, especially in early spring, when the effect 
is very striking. 

H. vestita, va.r. pubescens. — This is one of the most hardy 
forms, and is not so well known as it should be. It is 
a native of northern China and perhaps other Asiatic 
countries of that latitude. It is but little known in Amer- 
ican or English gardens, and is described as a shrub four 



4o Ornamental Shrubs. 

or five feet high and often from five to eight feet across, 
the numerous slender branches being clothed with light 
green, ovate leaves, pointed at both ends, and retaining the 
color throughout the summer. The flowers, appearing in 
June, are in cymes five to six inches in diameter. The 
ray-flowers are numerous, and as they first come out are 
pure white, but later change to rose or pink, and hold 
on until late in autumn. It is pronounced by good au- 
thorities the most beautiful of all the hydrangeas that are 
absolutely hardy as far north as New York and New 
England, and the earliest to blossom in summer. 

H. thunbergii is a species from Japan, with blue or 
rose flowers arranged in clusters with the sterile ones 
on the outer rim of the cymes and the fertile ones in the 
centre. It is a small sort of two or three feet in height, 
and not as hardy as some other sorts. H. nivea is distin- 
guished by having nearly white leaves on the under side, 
and thus affording valuable contrasts when planted in 
groups. H. lindleyana is of Japanese origin, with long 
leaves and comparatively small heads of bright pink blos- 
soms. H. stellata fiore pleno is new and rare, with its 
merits not yet fully tested. There are numerous other 
varieties of more or less value, in most of which the differ- 
ences are so slight and unimportant that to describe them 
would seem a useless task. 

H. quercifolia is an American species, a native of the 
Alleghany Mountains, though not much planted. It is 
a hardy shrub four to six feet high, and of sturdy growth, 
with white flowers disposed in the form of panicles rather 
than the customary cymes. The leaves are about six 



42 Ornamental Shrubs. 

inches long, obtusely lobed, resembling some of the oaks, 
and are richly tinted in autumn, giving an especial value 
in producing good foliage effects. 

H. paniciilata. — This is probably the most hardy of all 
the hydrangeas known to cultivation. Its good qualities 
are intensified in its variety, H. p. grandiflora, which has 
now almost superseded the typical form in our ordinary 
gardens. It produces immense heads of sterile flowers, 
often measuring ten to fifteen inches in length and half as 
many in diameter. These come out in July and continue 
until frost, being creamy-white at the opening and chang- 
ing to red later on. The shrub is much branched, and 
every stem carries one of these immense cones, so that the 
bush appears as a huge bouquet, arranged with care and 
precision. If cut back almost to the ground in autumn 
new shoots arise in considerable numbers, every one of 
which later during the same season produces a cluster of 
blossoms. If the shrub is not properly cut in there will 
soon be too much height, all the last year's growth becom- 
ing bare. When desired it can be grown in tree form, 
with a single stem to the height desired, when a well- 
rounded head can be established and maintained from year 
to year. It is often grown in this way, but it is not espe- 
cially to be preferred. The plant needs no winter protec- 
tion, but, like all the others, is the better for special care 
and attention. 

H. japonic a. — An earlier introduction from Japan, 
growing about three feet, with ovate, oblong leaves glab- 
rous and finely serrate, with blossoms of bluish cast, though 
white is predominant, and in crowded cymes. There is a 




HYDRANGEA PANICULATA GRANDIFLORA— TREE FORM. 



44 Ornamental Shrubs. 

variety known as rosea alba, which has only the outer in- 
dividual flowers radiate, and the petals touched with pink 
or rose. 

ACACIA. 

THE acacias constitute a large and interesting genus 
of the natural order Leguminosce. The number 
of species is estimated at from three to four hun- 
dred, and there are in addition numerous varieties and 
hybrids of especial value in cultivation. They are mostly 
natives of tropical or semi-tropical climates, and their 
products are highly esteemed in commerce and medicine. 
Some of the species furnish the exudation known as gum 
arabic, some gum Senegal, and others a delicious perfume 
known in trade. Various drugs and medicines are pre- 
pared in whole or part from the roots, leaves, and bark, 
and the bark contains so much tannin as to be also largely 
used for tanning leather. In some cases the pods furnish 
material to the native populations for making snuff, and 
also for distilling an intoxicant which is said to be of a 
most agreeable nature. They are nearly all beautiful, 
small trees, with gracefully waving, feathery foliage and 
abundant, fragrant, pea-shaped blossoms of white, pink, 
yellow, and purple. 

As might be expected, most of the acacias known to 
colder sections are grown under glass, and very few are 
entirely hardy in this country as far north as New York 
and New England. But in the Southern States there are 
several species well fitted to the climate, and needing no 
protection ; and some of these, with no more care than is 



Acacia. 45 

often afforded other semi-hardy plants, can be grown as 
far north as Philadelphia and St. Louis. The leaves are 
compound, twice and thrice pinnate, the small leaflets 
being so finely divided as to present a fern-like or feathery 
appearance. But in some of the species the true leaves are 
seldom developed. To compensate for their absence, the 
leaf-stalk, which at first is more or less cylindrical and of 
small dimensions, becomes flattened and assumes a leaf- 
like appearance. Thus these dilated leaf-stalks are made 
to fulfil the functions of leaves, varying largely in the dif- 
ferent species. Another curiosity in the structure of the 
foliage of this class is that the leaves are so placed that 
their edges look upward and downward, instead of lying 
flat, as in most cases. One of the results of this peculiar 
arrangement is that such trees and shrubs afford very little 
shade, as the sun's rays are but slightly obstructed, so that 
other plants of suitable size may grow freely beneath. Of 
the specimens that may be planted safely in the United 
States the following may be named as among the best : 

A. decurrens — Black Wattle. — This is a small tree of 
good proportions, and highly prized wherever known. It 
is, withal, of considerable commercial value in its native 
country, and thousands of acres are said to have been 
planted in New Zealand and Australia within a few years 
for the tannin which the bark affords. The tree is ex- 
ceedingly floriferous, producing long racemes of bright 
yellow blossoms that contrast favorably with the pale green, 
fern-like leaves. It was introduced into California some 
years since, where it was received with much favor. Since 
then it has been planted in some of the Southern States, 



46 Ornamental Shrubs. 

and may be grown as far north as Washington under 
favorable conditions. 

A. hispida — Rose- Acacia. — This is a native of the 
southern Alleghanies, and is one of the most hardy of all 
the true acacias, and so is more largely known in American 
gardens than any other. It is a small tree, blooming early 
in spring, when it is covered with soft rose-colored but 
scentless flowers. It is a vigorous grower, coming early 
to maturity, and in every respect is desirable. But even 
when found hardy it needs to be planted in a sheltered 
position, as its wood is brittle and the limbs are easily 
broken by high winds. In England it is often grafted for 
the sake of gaining height, and as thus grown is very 
fine. 

A. bailey ana. — This is a native of Australia, and has 
been but recently introduced to English and American 
grounds. Mr. Watson of the Cambridge Botanic Garden, 
in a letter written from London to Garden and Forest 
some time since, says that he found it growing at Kew, 
and that it does well in that location. It may not have 
been tested very thoroughly in America as yet, but as 
grown at Cambridge it is described as of a close, bushy 
habit, with stiff, twiggy branches, thickly clothed with short, 
bipinnate, glaucous leaves, with remarkable glandules on 
the midrib. The flowers are in small-stalked, spherical 
heads, deep yellow, fragrant, and produced in large panicles 
on the end of the branches. In its native country it is 
said to grow to a height of fifteen feet, but has assumed 
no such proportions, as yet, in the hands of our horticul- 
turists. It cannot be otherwise than an interesting plant, 



Acacia. 47 

as the gray bark of the stem and larger branches, with the 
pale green of the foliage and the bright bunches of golden 
flowers, constitutes a combination not often seen on the 
same shrub or tree. The blossoms continue long and 
answer a good purpose as cut flowers. 

A. pubescens. — No one will dispute the value of this 
plant as ornamental, and it is one of the most hardy 
and easily grown of its class. Good plants are found in 
perfection as far north as Boston in some of the best 
gardens. It was reported as long ago as 1891 that speci- 
mens were growing in the grounds of Wellesley College, 
spreading to nearly, if not quite, ten feet in diameter. 
These had doubtless received especial care and attention, 
as do many others of our best ornamental shrubs. In the 
warmer parts of the country they thrive in the open air 
the year round. They are beautiful in both foliage and 
flower, the leaves being finely cut and the blossoms ex- 
ceedingly abundant. These latter are light yellow, and 
crowd the long, pendulous branches from end to end, 
always filling the air with a delicious fragrance. They 
appear very early in spring, and frequently in winter 
during a temporary suspension of its customary rigors. 
It is a good plant for house or church decoration, and 
capable of filling a want in that direction which has been 
long felt. 

A. famesiana. — Here also is found a small tree, of 
about the same height and possessed of many of the same 
good qualities. Just where it originated is a question not 
fully determined. It abounds in San Domingo, and is 
found growing wild in some parts of Texas, if not in others 



48 Ornamental Shrubs. 

of the Southern and Southwestern States. With care 
and slight winter protection it is found to do well in 
the Mississippi valley as far north as Cincinnati, and 
presumably is adapted to a considerable southern range 
throughout the middle Southern States. It has the 
feathery foliage of its class, with flowers of golden-yellow 
and most deliciously fragrant. These appear in early 
spring in great abundance, and continue through the en- 
tire summer and well into the autumn. Cases are 
reported where trees from twelve to fifteen feet high carry 
heads as many or more feet in diameter, and that, too, 
when from but six to ten years old. 

ACER — Japanese Maples. 

THE Japanese are a patient people. However 
others may make haste, they are content to wait 
when they have an object in view which they 
deem worth their while. Their nurserymen, especially, 
are given to processes that an American grower of plants 
would scorn to adopt, however much he might desire pos- 
sible results. In proof of this it is necessary only to note 
how largely the foreigners are given to the art of dwarfing 
plants and trees and growing them into fantastic shapes. 
The beautiful little maples, and many others which appear 
in this country from time to time, are largely the outcome 
of long-continued artificial conditions. At a meeting of 
the Horticultural Congress held in Chicago in 1893, Mr. 
Henry Izawa, gardener of the Japanese Commission to the 
Columbian Exposition, read a paper by request, illus- 
trating this phase of Japanese work ; and as it throws 



Acer — Japanese Maples. 



49 



so much light on the general subject, and explains so 
many of the peculiarities of certain Japanese plants, a brief 
quotation may not here be out of place. 

In setting out to produce these abnormal results, Mr. 
Izawa says that the workman begins with the seed, and 
that great care is taken to pro- 
cure seed of the very best 
quality. " In the spring of the 
second year, when the seed- 
ling's are about eight inches in 
height, they are staked with 
bamboo-canes and tied with 
rice straw, the plants 
being bent in differ- 
ent desirable shapes. 
In the next fall they 
are transplanted to a 
richer soil, and are 
well fertilized. In the 
following spring the 
plants are restaked, 
and twisted and tied 
in fanciful forms. This mode of treatment is given until 
the seventh year, when the trees will have assumed 
fairly large proportions, the branches being trained in grace- 
ful forms, and the foliage like small clouds of dense green. 
The plants are now taken up and placed in pots one and 
a half feet in diameter, and are kept well watered every 
succeeding year ; great care must be taken to keep new 
shoots pinched back. After another three years of this 




JAPANESE MAPLE. 



50 Ornamental Shrubs. 

treatment the trees are virtually dwarfed, there being 
no visible growth thereafter. Maples form one of the 
best materials for the artistic fancies of the Japanese grafts- 
man. Many times a great many different varieties are 
grafted on one stem. Seedling maples are spliced and 
tied together when growing. After they have formed 
a union the desired shoot is cut off — this is kept up until 
ten or twenty varieties are obtained. Maples thus grafted 
form lovely features for lawns, their varying hues and 
types of foliage enhancing each other's beauty. 

" The aesthetic idea shows itself in every line of Japa- 
nese industry, and especially is it the case with our nursery 
and landscape gardeners. The most inexperienced need 
not fear any difficulty in our mode of gardening if he but 
uses his mind and efforts in the right direction. The skil- 
ful artist introduces into his miniature garden, not regular 
geometrical forms, but anything odd, irregular, and artis- 
tic. To us gardening is not mathematics, but an art ; 
hills, dales, rivulets, waterfalls, bridges, etc., vie with each 
other in presenting their quaintest forms and fancies and 
harmonious symmetries. Dwarfed plants of all descrip- 
tions deck the scene here and there in thousands of pecul- 
iarly artistic shapes. We derive lessons from Nature, and 
strive to imitate her as much as is practicable, although on 
a smaller scale." 

The Japanese maples belong to the natural order 
Sapmdacece, and, though differing so widely from most 
of their congeners in general appearance, are genuine 
members of the great maple family so widely known 
throughout the world. And yet they occupy a field in 



Acer — Japanese Maples. 51 

horticulture peculiar to themselves, being both curious 
and beautiful beyond comparison. Though real trees, 
they are known to us only in shrub-like proportions, and, 
being of slow growth, are adapted to use in localities 
where other sorts would soon become too large for the 
situation. It is true that they do not carry conspicuous 
blossoms, but the foliage is resplendent in crimson, pink, 
yellow, red, purple, and gold, each in varying shades, so 
that when rightly planted in masses they become as at- 
tractive as any bed of flowers, with the advantage of main- 
taining their charms throughout the entire summer. 
Their habit of growth is low and somewhat bushy, rang- 
ing from three to fifteen feet in height, with well-formed 
and shapely heads. With our present information k is 
impossible to class them as to species with exactness, and, 
though this has been often attempted, scarcely two au- 
thorities are entirely agreed. This, however, is a matter 
of small importance in practical horticulture, as all the 
general features are well understood and appreciated. 
The following are the best sorts, and probably the only 
ones at present before the American public, to be com- 
mended for cultivation : 

A. japonicum. — This is a species growing ten to fifteen 
feet in height, with bright green leaves. These are larger 
than in most of the sorts represented in this group, nearly 
round, and scalloped or fluted, though not deeply in- 
dented. The flowers appear in early spring, are delicate 
pink and decidedly attractive. This is all the more no- 
ticeable as in most of these maples the blossoms are com- 
paratively inconspicuous. The tree is of slow growth, 



5 2 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



holding its foliage well into autumn and growing more 
and more beautiful with age. It has given off a variety, 
A. j. aureum, whose distinguishing feature is in its yellow 
or golden leaves, which are intermingled with varying 
shades of green, productive of the best effects, the colors 
being retained through the entire season. The tree are 
hardy as far north as southern New England and western 
New York. Another variety, less striking, is A. j. aconiti- 
folium, aconite-leaved, the foliage of which is deeply 
cut, giving it a very picturesque appearance. There are 
also a large-leaved sort, A. j. macranthum, one with 
small foliage, A. j. microphyllum, and still another, A. j. 
scolopendifolium, smaller than the last, with wavy or scal- 
loped leaves. 

A. polymorphism. — This is supposed to be the parent 

of many of the remark- 
able varieties that have 
come to the knowledge 
of the public, and that 
now enter so largely into 
horticulture. Whether 
it be true, as some assert, 
or otherwise, that it was 
the original form, it has 
certainly given off a 
number of varieties 
which in garden and lawn 
planting have no superi- 
ors, and, indeed, few or 
no equals. It rises from twelve to eighteenTeet, as observed 




ACER POLYMORPHUM. 



Acer — Japanese Maples. 53 

in this country, and can be grown in tree or bush form as 
may be desired. The foliage is rather small, deeply lobed, 
and has a habit of taking on different forms as well as colors, 
the young growth materially differing from the older on 
the same tree. In the fall special tints are assumed, 
which add much to its attractiveness. The bark is smooth, 
and, all things considered, it is one of the prettiest small 
trees that can be planted in ordinary locations. 

A. p. atropurpureum. — This is known as the dark 
purple-leaved Japan maple, and is probably more largely 
planted than any other variety. It is identical with the 
preceding except in the color of the foliage, though per- 
haps not of quite so vigorous growth. Planted in groups, 
few things are more effective, and it retains its color well 
into autumn. Where contrasts are desired, nothing serves 
a better purpose and harmonizes so well with the other 
plants of its class. A. p. atropurpureum nigrum has still 
darker leaves. 

A. p. atropurpureum dissectum. — This is a dwarf, pen- 
dulous form of the most exquisite beauty, and, though 
not found in most gardens, is worthy of a place in all. 
The bark on the smaller branches is crimson, and the foli- 
age is so finely cut as to give it the appearance of beauti- 
ful lace or hanging draperies. The leaves are bright 
rose-color when young, but as the season advances change 
to a dark purple, retaining, however, their beauty to the 
last. At its best the tree grows to a height of ten to 
twelve feet, but as usually seen in American gardens is 
scarcely more than five or six. Mr. H. H. Berger, the 
California florist and importer, who saw the plant in its 



54 Ornamental Shrubs. 

native habitat, says : "In the English Park at Yokohama, 
on the Bluff, is to be seen one of the most perfect speci- 
mens of this kind. The stem is about twelve feet high, 
and is completely masked by the drooping branches. 
When the wind sweeps through them, the sunlight play- 
ing with the purplish and red tints of the leaves, they are 
like a cascade of rich, royal lace, or a poem in color. 
This sort has a sub-variety, the crimson, fern-like leaves, 
variegated with pink, green, and white, being extremely 
delicate and of a dwarf growth." A. p. albo variegatum 
is another form with marked peculiarities. It has small, 
deeply cut leaves variegated with white and yellow, but is 
not esteemed one of the best of the family. This and A. 
p. cristatum are seldom seen in the gardens, though both 
are pretty plants and worthy of more general use. 

A. p. roseo-pictiim. — In this the leaves are equally finely 
cut, but variegated with white, yellow, rose, and green, 
making it in springtime a wonder to all beholders. The 
shrub, though so delicate in appearance, is reasonably 
hardy where other varieties are known to thrive. It is 
still scarce in the markets, so that the demand for it has 
never been fully met. A. p. roseo-marginatum is of slow 
growth, with small leaves curiously tipped and edged with 
red or rosy-pink. There is a variety of this differing only 
in the more intense colors of the variegation. A. p. 
versicolor is another form in which the foliage much 
resembles that of the parent polymorphum, but is spotted 
with pink, white, and green. It is a strong grower and 
one of the most interesting sorts. 

A. p. reticulatum is very much of a dwarf. It is 



Acer — Japanese Maples. 



55 



described as having deeply lobed leaves, traversed over 
a whitish ground with a network of translucent, yellowish- 
green lines, and as coloring finely in autumn when it 
is at its best. It contrasts well with the A. p. sanguineus, 
or blood-leaved variety, which in turn is one of the pret- 




CUT-LEAVED JAPAN MAPLE. 



tiest of the whole family, and one of the most largely 
planted. This is at its best in June, and, though it later 
loses some of its brilliancy, it is a gem of rare worth to 
the end of the season. No massing or grouping is com- 
plete without it. It is also especially effective as a single 
specimen, and is one of the most popular of all the 
family. 



56 Ornamental Shrubs. 

SHEPHERDIA— Buffalo Berry. 

THE shepherdias constitute a small group of the 
Oleaster family, which was named by Nuttall in 
honor of John Shepherd, at the time curator of 
the Liverpool Botanic Garden. All are natives of North 
America, having a range from New Mexico to the British 
Possessions on the north, but mostly confined to the west- 
ern sections of the United States. But one, only, proves 
of especial value as ornamental or possessed of eco- 
nomic worth. Shepherdia argentea, popularly known as 
the buffalo or rabbit berry, grows from five to fifteen 
feet high and is of slender proportions, with opposite ovate 
or oblong leaves silvery white on both sides. The 
branches are covered with gray bark, the whole contrast- 
ing pleasantly with surrounding trees or shrubs of darker 
shade. It is slightly thorny and capable of being used 
for hedges to advantage. The flowers are small and in 
compact clusters, bright yellow, appearing in April or 
May in great profusion. The fruit which follows is still 
more beautiful. It is scarlet or crimson, and hangs in 
bunches sometimes covering almost the entire bush or 
tree, and contrasting with the light-colored foliage to great 
advantage. These berries have an agreeable acid taste 
and prove edible for man or beast. The plant was intro- 
duced many years ago to English gardens where it was 
received with favor becoming its merits. ^S". canadensis is 
a slightly smaller shrub but far less valuable for garden 
cultivation. Its fruit is less showy, quite insipid, and the 
branches, young leaves, and indeed the whole plant are 
more or less covered with rusty scales. But it has its 



Ligustrum — Privet. 57 

uses, as it grows on gravelly banks and in sterile soils 
where little else will thrive. Its hardiness is proverbial, 
as it holds its own against the most adverse influences. 

LIGUSTRUM— Privet. 

THE privets are among the most useful as well as 
most ornamental of the small trees or shrubs 
known to cultivation. They belong to the olive 
family, Oleacece, and comprise from twenty-five to thirty 
species with numerous varieties of especial value. Some 
are natives of Europe, others of temperate and tropical 
Asia, and still others of Australia and the South Sea 
Islands. Those most familiar to our northern gardens 
are nearly all deciduous, but farther south the evergreens 
predominate. In either case, the bright green foliage and 
somewhat conspicuous white blossoms and berry-like 
fruit show to advantage. Few plants are adapted to a 
wider climatic range or will thrive under such diverse con- 
ditions. All the species are of easy growth and compara- 
tively indifferent to soils and situations, though as they 
are rapid growers they should be supplied with plenty of 
vegetable food for best effects. It is claimed that they 
are especially indifferent to the smoky atmosphere of 
large towns and cities where so many others fail, and this, 
taken in connection with the fact that they are notably 
free from insect pests and from disease, suggests their 
more liberal planting in such locations. 

L. vulgare is the common privet or prim of the old 
English gardens, and is still largely in use for hedges and 
fencing. It is a native of Europe, including the British 



58 Ornamental Shrubs. 

Islands, and so is adapted to the climate and well fitted to 
the purposes to which it is applied. It has smooth, ellip- 
tic-lanceolate foliage, and, when properly treated with that 
end in view makes a compact, well rounded bush some- 
what in tree form, from six to ten feet high. The blos- 
soms are white and in compound racemes, coming out 
in early summer, and are both numerous and fragrant. 
These are followed by nearly black berry-like fruit in 
clusters of no particular beauty. In the hedge-rows, where 
the plants are kept well cut in, but few flowers are seen 
as they are borne on the new wood. But when grown on 
the lawn or in the border they are among the most florif- 
erous of shrubs, the odor of the blossoms when in close 
contact being so intense as to be offensive to many per- 
sons, a characteristic of nearly all the privets. There are 
several well established varieties, some of which may be 
preferred to the typical form. Of these L. v. buxifolium 
has leaves resembling those of the common box ; L. v. 
frutuluteum has yellow fruit and more dense foliage ; 
L. v. variegahmi, leaves margined with yellow in one 
form, and marked with white in another, and others have 
more or less noticeable variegations. 

L. ovalifolium is popularly known as the California 
privet, though for no good reason, as it is a native of 
Japan and not of the State whose name it bears. It is 
preferred to the vulgare because of its larger foliage and 
more rapid and vigorous growth. The leaves are oval- 
elliptic or obovate, and much more persistent. Even in 
the vicinity of Boston they often keep their color until 
midwinter, while farther south they are practically ever- 



Ligustrum — Privet. 59 

green. Unfortunately this species is not quite as hardy as 
some of the other forms, and so cannot be depended 
upon in northern New England or the Northwest. In 
Newport, Rhode Island, it is the favorite shrub for hedges 
and is extensively planted along the seaside, and often in 
most exposed situations, where it seldom suffers from 
wind or cold. It appears to be peculiarly fitted for growth 
near the shore, and is much used for the protection of other 
and less hardy forms. It is found, also, on the open grounds 
and in the borders of the most pretentious villas of that 
city of palaces. There is a variety catalogued as L. 0. 
tricolor whose foliage is beautifully marked with green, 
yellow, and white, the combination continuing the entire 
season with all the distinctness of the first growth. There 
is, however, a tendency on the part of some of the more 
vigorous branches to turn to the original color, and it some- 
times becomes necessary to cut out the green-leaved 
branches in order to preserve the full beauty of the bush. 
It is often grafted on privet stock several feet high, and 
grown as a ball or a pyramid, when the effect is very fine. 
L. japonicum. — This is an evergreen species from 
Japan, reaching a height of six to ten feet, and is a vigorous 
grower with oblong-ovate foliage more sharply pointed 
than in most privets. The leaves are thick and glossy and 
are capable of withstanding northern winters better than 
most of the others. The variety known as macrophyllum 
has still larger foliage, but is scarcely to be preferred. 
Neither the type nor its varieties are much known in the 
United States and cannot confidently be recommended 
except for the southern or middle sections. 



60 Ornamental Shrubs. 

L. ibota is another species from Japan, and is in all 
respects one of the best. It proves a somewhat smaller 
form with even more slender twigs and branches. The 
flowers are in drooping racemes in midsummer, and so 
fragrant that they perfume the air for a considerable 
distance. It is able to endure a greater degree of cold 
than the last mentioned, and so is to be preferred in 
northern latitudes where the ordinary privet hedge is 
considered precarious. It is believed to be as hardy as the 
old English privet which Mr. W. C. Egan of Highland 
Park, Chicago, puts down as the only ligustrum which 
thrives in that locality. 

L. lucidum. — This also belongs to the evergreen branch 
of the group and is not freely planted in this country. 
The leaves are much larger than in either of the others 
described and are more oval. Its flowers appear in wide- 
spreading panicles in early autumn, and are quite showy as 
well as fragrant. It is a native of China, though found 
growing freely in Japan also, rising to a height of ten to 
twelve feet 

HYPERICUM— St. John's-wort. 

THE hypericums constitute a large genus of tender 
and hardy herbaceous plants, shrubs, and trees. 
The Greek name appears to have been originally 
applied to a species growing freely in Egypt and southern 
Europe, which was but twelve to eighteen inches high. 
The best of the hardy sorts growing as shrubs or small 
trees are natives of North America, though Europe 
furnishes several that are valuable. They can be easily 



Hypericum — St. John's-wort. 



61 



grown, and are worthy of more attention than has been 
accorded them in promiscuous cultivation. Thus far, of 
the many members of the family but few have come into 
common use as ornamental, but as their merits are better 
understood they are fast growing into popular favor. 
This is seen in the fact 
that, whereas a few 
years ago the hyperi- 
cums were seldom ad- 
vertised by the nursery- 
men, they have now so 
far won upon the pub- 
lic as to secure a place 
in almost every cata- 
logue. Nearly all have 
opposite leaves, which 
are frequently dotted 
with darker colors, giv- 
ing them a somewhat 
singular though not an 
especially attractive ap- 
pearance. The sap or 
juice is usually acrid 
and disagreeable to the 
taste. There are now 
before the public a dozen or more species or well-defined 
varieties, from which selections may be made that are sure 
to please. 

H. kalmianum, popularly known as St. John's-wort, 
takes its name from the Swedish botanist, Peter Kalm, 




HYPERICUM KALMIANUM. 



62 Ornamental Shrubs. 

who first saw the plant on the borders of Niagara River, 
during a visit to this country. It was introduced to 
European gardens about the middle of the last century, 
and was received with much favor. In England, especially, 
it has long been regarded as among the best of ornamen- 
tals in the department to which it is particularly adapted. 
It is a low, spreading bush from two to four feet high, the 
diameter of its top being often greater than its height. 
The leaves are numerous and somewhat crowded, linear, 
slightly glaucous, and about two inches long. The blossoms 
appear in August. They are glossy yellow, somewhat 
resembling in their general appearance those of the dande- 
lion, and are very numerous and long-continued, and afford 
a marked contrast to the deep green foliage and the 
prevailing colors at that time of the year. For planting 
singly or in masses this is very effective, and is especially 
adapted to small lawns or gardens. It also has the merit of 
doing better than most plants when growing in partial 
shade. 

H. aureum is of even less size than the preceding, 
and in some respects is to be preferred to it where a small 
shrub is called for. It is a recent introduction, and a 
worthy candidate for popular favor. Though diminutive, 
it produces much larger flowers than the kalmianum, and 
in equal profusion. Of the few hardy shrubs blossoming 
in early autumn this is certainly one of the most showy. 
The flowers appear in August, and continue their brilliancy, 
under favorable conditions, until October. 

H. prolificum is a larger shrub than either of the pre- 
ceding, growing four to six feet, and with a wide-spreading 



64 Ornamental Shrubs. 

head. The branches are covered with light red bark, 
which separates easily into a multitude of thin scales. 
The flowers are large and showy, produced in terminal 
clusters, and continuing from July to September. 

H. densiflorum is a shrub four to six feet high, with 
numerous slender branches and a multitude of small but 
conspicuous yellow blossoms in compound cymes. It is 
comparatively new to cultivation, but bids fair to win a 
place among our most popular sorts. It adapts itself 
readily to sandy and comparatively barren soils, where it 
often thrives ; but, like other plants, prefers more favorable 
conditions. 

H. adpressum is almost a creeper, and grows wild in 
southern New England, preferring moist locations. As it 
is indigenous to Nantucket and the islands of Vineyard 
Sound, it will undoubtedly thrive anywhere at the seaside 
where a low plant is desired for covering bare spots or for 
edeinsfs. It seldom rises above two feet. The leaves are 
oblong, acute, and thin ; the flowers, bright yellow, and 
covering the bush during most of July and August. 

H. patulatum is also a spreading St. John's-wort. It is 
a native of Japan, and is probably, all things considered, 
preferable to the preceding, though having the same 
general characteristics. The flowers are bright yellow, 
opening in the summer and continuing until early frosts. 

H. buckleyi is a native of the mountainous regions of 
the Carolinas, and, though hardy in most parts of the 
United States, is but little known. It is described as a 
small shrub with slender branches covered with loose, 
reddish bark. The leaves, green above and paler beneath, 



Hypericum — St. John's-wort 65 

are two inches or more in length, oblong, rounded at the 
apex and narrowing to the base. The flowers, terminal 
and solitary, an inch in diameter, are very pretty. 

H. moseriamim. — This is acknowledged to be one of 
the very best low-growing plants of recent introduction. 
Its habit is free and graceful ; it produces long, slender, 
much-branched stems, leafy to the base and drooping 
towards the ends. It is free-flowering, each blossom 
measuring from two to two and a half inches in diameter, 
in color a rich golden yellow, which is rendered still more 
effective by the numerous yellow stamens and crimson 
anthers. It blooms continuously the entire season, and 
whether used as a bedding plant, for borders, or as single 
specimens, is equally desirable. There is some question 
as to its hardiness as far north as New England, where it 
sometimes fails to withstand the winters unless afforded 
protection. But in the Middle and Southern States it is 
sure to prove of the highest value. Its height is from 
two to three feet, and it is of very easy cultivation. 

H. oblongifolium. — This is sometimes catalogued as H. 
hookerianum, which may be regarded as a synonym, as 
the two certainly represent the same plant. The flowers 
are large and bright yellow, though the bush is not as free 
a bloomer as some of its class. They are sufficient, how- 
ever, to make it very desirable in the shrubbery or border, 
where midsummer blossoms are especially desired. It 
grows but about two feet, and is nearly an evergreen and 
quite so in the Southern States. In the North it needs 
slight protection, and does best in half-shaded situations. 
It is a native of Nepaul. Others which may be mentioned 



66 Ornamental Shrubs. 

as desirable are H. elatum, a native of the United States, 
which rises about three to four feet, whose blossoms are 
small but produced in great profusion on the numerous 
slender-growing branches, and H. hircinum, which grows 
to about the same height and has paler yellow flowers, 
with very long stamens whose prominence gives the bush 
a somewhat peculiar appearance and makes it quite attrac- 
tive. It is a product of the Mediterranean countries. 

PHILLYREA. 

A GENUS of Oleacece consisting of but four 
species. These are all natives of the Mediterra- 
nean countries, and have long been known but 
not freely employed in cultivation, thus helping swell the 
large list of neglected plants that are worthy of a more 
generous recognition. Two kinds only are reputed suffi- 
ciently hardy for general cultivation in the United States. 

P. media is a vigorous-growing bush of a spreading 
habit, ten to twelve feet high, with lanceolate leaves, entire, 
veiny, and of a very distinct appearance. The flowers are 
white, appearing in early spring and followed by fruit in 
one- or two-seeded drupes of long continuance. It is not 
suited to the New England climate, but in the southern 
Middle States would prove an acquisition. There is a 
pendulous variety of much merit, sometimes known as 
olcefolia, or ligustrifolia, which is worthy of notice. 

P. vilmoriniana is counted more hardy and is coming 
into favor in English gardens. Its leaves very much 
resemble those of the Portugal laurel, being large and 
leathery, dark green tinted with bronze on their first 



Erica — Calluna — Heath. 67 

appearance. It produces large, fragrant, white blossoms in 
axillary clusters, in May or June. It does well in any 
light friable soil and can safely be planted in our Southern 
and Southwestern States. 

ERICA— CALLUNA— Heath. 

THE ericas are said to include more than four 
hundred species, some say nine hundred, and 
these have in turn given off almost numberless 
varieties. Most of these are too tender for out-of-door 
cultivation even in the Southern States, and only a very 
few are found to thrive in more northern localities. They 
are largely natives of the southern hemisphere, especially 
of Africa, and but very few are adapted to temperate 
climates on either side of the equator. Under favorable 
climatic influences they retain their foliage during the 
winter and so are mostly classed as evergreen, but in this 
country they scarcely answer to that description, though 
even here their foliage is persistent, usually holding on 
until late autumn. The flowers are mostly nodding, 
axillary, or terminal, produced in fascicles and in many 
colors. The typical form of the blossom is tubular with 
the mouth somewhat contracted, and from one to four 
inches in length. 

As a rule, the ericas require more care and attention 
than most other plants in ordinary garden cultivation, and 
are more particular as to situations. In all cases a peaty 
soil is preferred, though any good friable compost such as 
will answer for the rhododendron or the azalea will serve a 
good purpose. A soil of stiff clay or one impregnated 



68 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



\ 




ERICA FRAQRANS. 



with lime proves fatal to success. But with all these draw- 
backs it is surprising that the heaths are not more generally 

^^^^ planted in this country than they 

are. Equal and even more at- 
tention is bestowed on many 
sorts in no wise superior, and 
with less satisfactory results. 
Their flowering season covers 
almost the entire year, though 
no single variety is a perpetual 
bloomer. But by a proper selec- 
tion from amonof the various 
forms these little plants become 
objects of interest and pleasure 
in spring and summer, autumn and winter. 

As greenhouse and conservatory plants many of them 
are highly esteemed, and whole houses are often devoted 
to their cultivation. Both in the greenhouse and garden 
there is wide range for selection. Some of the species are 
small and especially suited to growing in borders and 
edgings. Others are larger and well adapted to massing 
or appearing as single specimens. Some blossom in early 
spring, others in midsummer to late autumn and even in 
early winter. The numbers of species and varieties are so 
great that no attempt will be made at description except in 
a general way. Nor will any attempt be made at scientific 
accuracy in names and qualities. 

Almost every one has heard of the interesting little 
shrub known as the Scotch heath or heather, artd though, 
botanically, this is classed as calluna it is such an impor- 



Erica — Calluna — Heath. 



69 



tant member of the family that the popular conception may 
well be recognized in this connection. C. vulgaris, the 
Scotch heath, grows from one to three feet, with purplish 
flowers, disposed in long, terminal, spicate racemes, from 




HARDY ERICA. 



July to September. It is common to nearly all northern 
and central Europe, especially on the hillsides and in waste 
places which, by its presence, are made beautiful. Unlike 
many of the more delicate ericas, these are able to endure 
many hardships. They grow in thin soils and thrive in 



70 Ornamental Shrubs. 

exposures that few plants are able to endure. Some of 
the varieties are especially beautiful and should be selected 
for garden cultivation in preference to the original form, 
whenever they can be procured. There is a white-flower- 
ing plant that is very pretty ; a flesh-colored, one much 
admired ; and others with double blossoms, though these 
are not always improvements. There are also varieties 
with golden and silver-colored shoots, that are exceed- 
ingly attractive both in flower and foliage, and especially 
adapted to planting in masses, and the wonder is that they 
are not more freely used. In short, all the heaths known 
as callunas are worthy of attention. 

RHAMNUS— Buckthorn. 

THE buckthorn family, Rhamnacece, is widely dis- 
tributed throughout Europe, northern Africa, 
Asia, and America, and, though preferring a warm 
climate, most of the species thrive also in the temperate 
zones. It is believed that the lotus fruit spoken of by 
Homer was a product of a member of this family, though 
not that which is now known to us in cultivation. The 
buckthorn proper, rhamnus, constitutes a tribe of more 
than thirty species, a few only of which are found in the 
United States. They are all large shrubs or small trees 
with opposite leaves, minute, fragrant flowers, and stony 
fruit. 

The species known as the common buckthorn, R. 
catharticus, is found growing wild in New England, 
though Emerson expresses the opinion that it was probably 



Stephanandra Flexuosa. 71 

brought here from Europe and has made its way from the 
gardens into the fields and woods. It grows from ten to 
twenty feet high, with a smooth stem and gray or olive- 
tinted branches. These are numerous, stiff, and well 
supplied with thorns. The leaves are ovate, notched, and 
marked with hairy veins beneath, though smooth on the 
upper surface. The flowers are small but numerous, 
growing in clusters, of various colors but mostly pink and 
white, and are followed by berries which become black 
when ripe, and hang late into the autumn. The buckthorn 
is much planted for hedges in England, and, when properly 
trained, constitutes an almost impassable barrier to man 
and beast. It makes a fairly good ornamental plant, 
though not in general use for that purpose, partly, per- 
haps, because of its slow growth. 

STEPHANANDRA FLEXUOSA. 

THIS is a genus of Rosacea of but a single species. It 
is closely related to the spiraeas and very much 
resembles some of the most valuable members of 
that family. It is supposed to be of Japanese origin, and is 
certainly an interesting low-growing shrub, seldom more 
than six feet in height. The small branches are numerous 
and the foliage dense and compact. This is distinguished 
by being deeply and finely cut or toothed, and taking 
on a purplish-red tint in its young growth and again in 
autumn, being of a rich glossy green during the summer. 
The flowers are small, but so numerous as to cover the 
whole bush late in June or the early part of July. Many 



J2 Ornamental Shrubs. 

regard it as one of the best of recent introductions, 
as it serves a good purpose whether planted singly, in 
groups, or in front of taller growths. Such plants, beauti- 
ful in both foliage and flower, are to be preferred to many 
of those which possess but a single virtue. 

COLUTEA. 

THE coluteas constitute an interesting genus, of the 
order Leguminosa, which have long been known 
to Old- World cultivation and are now somewhat 
widely distributed in America. They are all rapid growers 
and of easy cultivation, being not over particular as to 
soils and situations, though thriving better on dry land 
than in peat and excessively wet locations. In some 
European countries they were at one time much planted 
as ornamental hedges, though now superseded in that re- 
spect by newer and better adaptations. The genus is not 
large, but it exhibits peculiarities of such a striking 
character that specimens may well be planted in every 
considerable garden. 

C. arbor escens. — This is doubtless the best known and 
most widely distributed member of the family, and every- 
where answers a good purpose in decorative planting. In 
some countries it is known as the bladder senna, from 
medicinal uses to which the leaves have been put. It is a 
native of Italy, where it grows to a height of six to ten 
feet and forms a rather open but well-rounded head 
covered with odaucous green foliage. The leaves are com- 
pound, with seven to nine elliptic leaflets, which hold their 



Colutea. j3 

somewhat peculiar green color well into autumn. The 
flowers resemble the famous sweet pea in form, but are 
less conspicuous. The blossoms are yellow, and con- 
tinue in succession during the entire summer. They are 
succeeded by bladdery pods, two to three inches in length, 
containing the seed, which also hang long, so that we 
have the bush in flower and fruit at the same time and for 
a protracted period. These yellow blossoms and the thin, 
almost pellucid pods, hanging among the green leaves 
make it an object of interest to almost every one who 
comes into its presence. This bush is one of the few 
which brave the terrors of Mount Vesuvius, orowine to the 
very summit, and is found occasionally even within the 
circle of the crater, where vegetation can scarcely gain a 
foothold. Such a fact ought to suggest its adaptation to 
dry and sandy plains and other locations which it is 
difficult to cover with herbage. No one would be likely 
to suspect that such a slender-looking shrub would with- 
stand such exposures and thrive where so very little else 
can endure. There is a variety of much smaller dimen- 
sions, known as C. a. pygmcea, which is also a shapely bush 
and may be of service where space is limited. 

C. cruenta is much the same as the preceding, except 
that it grows only from four to six feet and has blossoms 
tinted with pale red or blood-color. These also appear in 
early summer, and are continuous in succession for a long 
time. The leaflets, which are from seven to nine in number, 
are smaller and more glaucous that in the preceding. It is a 
very pretty plant. C. hallepica is another form with larger 
yellow flowers than either of the other species. It grows 



74 Ornamental Shrubs. 

from three to five feet. C. media, as its name indicates, 
is intermediate in its proportions, and has bright orange- 
yellow flowers. There are few or no varieties in cultivation 
sufficiently distinct to call for special mention. 

CRATAEGUS— Thorn. 

IT has been said that the thorns produce a greater 
variety of beautiful small trees and shrubs than any 
other family. This may be true, but it will not 
readily command universal assent. Still the numerous 
species and varieties possess peculiar attractions and some 
of them have long been noted for their excellences. 
They appear both as shrubs and trees, and can be easily 
trained and shaped to suit the purposes of the propagator. 
Some of the best known species are natives of North 
America, and have been carried to Europe and widely 
distributed. Others have been brought from the Old 
World to the New, and have been received with equal 
favor. Nearly all the species are beautiful in leaf, flower, 
and fruit. The botanical name, cratcsgus, originally given 
to the hawthorn, is derived from the Greek kratos, signify- 
ing strength, and is fitly applied. 

English hawthorn, C. oxyacantha, has been famous in 
England for many generations and is also well known 
throughout all northern Europe. Grown in upright form, 
it makes a well-shaped tree, sometimes fifteen to twenty 
feet in height. It bears the shears well, and can be kept 
within such small proportions as may be desired, and 
shaped at will. It is distinguished for its rigid stems, 



Crataegus — Thorn. 



75 




numerous sharp spines, and attractive foliage. The leaves 
are obovate, deeply lobed and toothed, somewhat wedo- e - 
shaped at the base, smooth, and glossy. The flowers are 
white, very fragrant, and mostly arranged in corymbs. 
These are followed by deep red fruit which hangs long on 
the bush and is quite showy. In Europe the hawthorn is 
extensively used for hedges, not only for its beauty but be- 
cause it furnishes pro- 
tection alike against 
man and beast ; but 
it has never been 
popular as a hedge 
plant in America. 
The species takes its popular name 
from the berries which in England are 
called haws. There are several vari- 
eties of much value, the best of which 
are as follows : C. o. rosea, pink-flower- 
ing, differs from the type chiefly in the 
color of its blossoms. In this case 
the petals are rose-colored, or pink, 
with the tips or claws bordered with 
white, and a well-grown tree in full 
bloom never fails to secure admi- 
ration. C. o. rosea stiperba has larger petals, which are 
dark red or crimson without the white tips, and is very fine. 
There are several double-flowering forms, one of which, 
C. o. flore pleno a/do, has large white, double flowers in 
great abundance, shading to pink before they fall. C. o. 
coccinea duplicates the last by producing similar blossoms 




FLOWERING BRANCH 
OF CRAT/EGUS OXYACANTHA 



j6 Ornamental Shrubs. 

in pink or scarlet, and a variation from this, known as 
Paul's double-scarlet, marks still another advance. In 
each of these the individual flowers are miniature rosettes 
and are very interesting. What is known as the Glaston- 
bury thorn, C. o. prcecox, is so named because of its 
supposed origin at Glastonbury Abbey. It is remarkable 
from the fact that it flowers much earlier than the original. 
In England its blossoms often appear at Christmas and 
aeain late in the following summer. In the United States 
it is one of the earliest to put forth its foliage, appearing 
at its best farther south than New England or New York. 
Numerous other departures from the original appear, some 
with different-colored fruit, and others having foliage 
variegated, sometimes with yellow and sometimes with 
white ; but none with characteristics so peculiar in these 
respects as to call for special notice. 

The American hawthorns, though usually spoken of 
simply as thorns, are also rich in species and varieties. 
They include about one third of all the kinds known, and 
are almost invariably hardy and worthy of cultivation, 
though such as are natives of the Gulf States should not be 
transplanted to the North where the winters are severe. 
Among the best of these are the following : C. crus-galli, 
cockspur thorn, is pronounced by some authorities the best 
of all American sorts, but there is little reason for giving 
it such especial prominence. As a small tree, it grows 
freely in almost any good soil and is worthy of general 
cultivation. The stem is erect, throwing off branches in 
whorls, which grrow almost at riofht anodes w ith the trunk. 
This gives the head a stratified appearance and adds to its 



7& Ornamental Shrubs. 

attractions. The leaves are dark green, almost glossy 
above, thick and inversely wedge-shaped or obovate. In 
autumn they assume a rich coloring. The flowers are 
white tinged with pink or red. Fruit, round, edible, and 
of a scarlet or sometimes a dull red color, hanging on the 
branches far into the winter. The species will do better 
in partial shade than most other sorts. It grows from ten 
to twenty feet, and blossoms in June. 

C. coccinea, scarlet thorn, is a native species of great 
value, spreading over a wide range of territory and every- 
where much admired. It is a small tree rising from ten 
to twenty feet, and in every way well proportioned. The 
numerous wedge-shaped, thin leaves are bright, soft and 
pleasant to the eye. The bark on the stem is rough, with 
a grayish cast, but on the smaller branches it is often 
smooth and of an olive-green or reddish shade. The 
spines are strong and sharp, well calculated to resist in- 
truders. The flowers are white and pretty, appearing in 
early June, and followed by bright scarlet berries that 
hang long and present a striking appearance. It is their 
prominence which gave the name to the species by which 
it is properly known. 

The species has given off a large number of varieties, 
some of which prove of horticultural worth. This is 
especially true in the case of C. c. macrantha, which by 
most authorities is ascribed to this origin, though some 
are disposed to raise it to the dignity of an independent 
species. Professor Bailey points out several qualities in 
which it diverges from the coccinea, among which is the fra- 
grance of its blossoms. He says that in this respect it is 



Crataegus — Thorn. 79 

entirely different from the scarlet thorn, which possesses 
anything but an agreeable odor. " A bush of the long- 
spurred thorn when in flower scents the air for a consider- 
able distance." Other reasons are given which appear to 
be convincing, but they need not be discussed in this con- 
nection. This long-spurred thorn is found growing in a 
state of nature from the banks of the St. Lawrence to 
Minnesota, and proves perfectly hardy throughout all the 
Northern and Middle States ; and it will probably adapt 
itself to even more southern situations. 

What is known as the white thorn is supposed to be 
also a variety of the scarlet, and by others it, too, is raised 
to the dignity of a species. It is known as C. mollis and 
is one of the largest and most conspicuous of the tribe. 
Garden and Forest says : "In cultivation the white 
thorn is a beautiful plant, of rapid growth and good habit, 
conspicuous in winter for the whiteness of its branches and 
for the number of its large chestnut-brown shining spines. 
The flowers, with the exception of those of one species 
of the Southern States, are the largest produced by any 
member of the genus. The leaves are large and of a lively 
green, and the fruit, which is as large as that of a small 
crab-apple, is brilliant scarlet with a conspicuous bloom." 

C. pyracantha fructo luteo. — This is an evergreen thorn, 
and one of our most desirable plants for the lawn or 
garden. As it is not large, it is well to plant three or five 
so that they will combine in appearance as one plant, when 
they will make a well-rounded, bushy form, ten feet, or 
perhaps more, in height, and as many in diameter as may 
be desired by the planter. The leaves change to a brown- 



8o 



Ornamental Shrubs. 






ish purple in the winter, and are very effective in such 
situations. In fact, there is scarcely any shrub that makes 
a better appearance on the lawn, taking the year as a 
whole, than this. As a hedge-plant it is even more 

especially desirable. 
It is true that its 
growth is slow and it 
takes some time to 
secure a good stand, 
but when the result 
is obtained nothing 
in the line of hedges 
is more beautiful. 
The branches are 
small, numerous, 
compact, and run into 
each other to such an 
extent that the whole 
line appears as 
though it might be a 
single growth. In 
spring and summer, 
the glossy foliage is 
covered with fragrant white flowers, followed by bright or- 
ange or scarlet berries which add much to its attractiveness. 
C. p. lalandii is a variety with larger leaves, and even more 
beautiful, but, unfortunately, like the type in the North, it 
is not entirely hardy. The evergreen thorns cannot be re- 
lied upon beyond the limits of southern New England. 
C. pyracantha cuneata is cultivated under the name of 




CRAT/EQUS SPATHULATA. 



Magnolia. 81 

cratcegtis spathulata. It has bright scarlet fruit which 
hangs on during the winter among the purplish, persistent 
leaves, making it a very ornamental plant. 

MAGNOLIA. 

THE magnolias constitute an interesting family, and 
as a whole are unsurpassed among hardy trees in 
beauty of foliage and flower. They are widely 
distributed both in the Old World and the New, and in 
higher and lower latitudes, some being deciduous and 
others evergreen. As classified by the botanists there are 
about twenty species and an equal or greater number of 
varieties known in cultivation. Some are natives of tropical 
Asia, and others of the colder portions of the temperate 
zone. A few are found in the West Indies, New Zealand, 
and Australia, and a much larger number come from China, 
Japan, the Crimean and Himalayan Mountains. Several 
are natives of North America and indigenous to the 
United States. But, wherever found, their attractions 
have been such that the better sorts have become common 
property throughout the horticultural world. 

A large number of species and varieties blossom in 
early spring before the foliage appears. In this case the 
flower-buds are formed and fully grown the previous 
summer, and so are ready to respond to the first genial 
breath of spring. It is astonishing how quickly these 
trees are clothed with flowers as the winter wears away, 
and how fully the promise of the last year's growth is 
fulfilled. None of the American species are of this class, 

6 



82 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



as with them, together with many foreign varieties, the 
foliage precedes the flowers, though all are early spring 
bloomers. Only a few are evergreens, but the leaves 
of many of the deciduous species are so persistent and 
hold on so long in autumn that it might not require a 
very great change in climatic conditions to enable them 
also to be clothed with living green. In most cases the 
leaves are large and inclined to be fleshy, alternate, entire, 
and sometimes dotted with pellucid spots, giving them a 
rich and attractive appearance. The fruit usually grows 
in a cone or hard, compact cluster, which becomes scarlet 
or bright red during the period of ripening. As the seeds 
drop out they may often be seen hanging by a slender 

thread several inches 
below the bunch in 
which they matured. 
They consist of small, 
hard nuts covered with 
a pale-red, fleshy sub- 
stance which should be 
removed before plant- 
ing. Without observing 
any prescribed order 
or classification, the 
following list is given 
as including the more 
desirable hardy forms 
magnolia glauca. adapted to cultivation : 

M. glaiica, known in some localities as sweet bay, and 
in others as swamp laurel, is the only species that is known 




Magnolia. 83 

to be indigenous to New England, its northern limit being 
in the swamps of Cape Ann near the sea. It grows 
freely in the southern Middle States, where it appears as a 
well-formed, small tree, and can be safely transplanted as 
far north as Canada. The foliage is good, the leaves being 
elliptic in form, from three to five inches in length, dark 
green above and whitish beneath. The flowers are white, 
composed of nine delicate petals tapering at the base, 
and arranged in three circles which unfold in succession. 
They appear in May or June, are fragrant and of long 
continuance on the branches. Though not one of the 
most conspicuous members of the family it is worthy of 
more attention in garden planting than is usually accorded 
to it. 

M. conspicua, known also as the yzdan, as it was intro- 
duced from a Chinese province by that name, is one of the 
most beautiful of all the hardy magnolias, and has come to 
be planted accordingly. It grows to be a tree in some- 
what shrubby form, from twenty to thirty feet high, and 
with numerous branches. The foliage is good, the flowers 
large, pearly white, and produced in such profusion as to 
almost hide the stems and branches from observation. 
They are cup-shaped, from seven to nine inches long and 
three to five across, appearing just as the leaf-buds begin 
to open. I have counted twelve hundred of these great 
blossoms upon a single tree growing in Newport, which 
for many years has not once failed to be such an object of 
beauty as to attract visitors, who never weary of admiring 
and praising it. The tree is reasonably hardy, but does 
best when planted on the southerly side of a wall, where 



8 4 



Ornamental Shrub' 



the wood is better ripened and the large autumn buds more 
fully developed. 



MAGNOLIA CONSPICUA. 




M. hypolc7ica, sometimes called the silver-leaved magno- 
lia, is a native of Japan, and is one of the most striking 
and attractive members of the family. According to 
Professor Sargent, who studied it in its native forests on 
the island of Yezo, it sometimes rises to the height of more 
than a hundred feet, and is a valuable timber tree, though 
in garden cultivation it does not appear to have anywhere 



Magnolia. 85 

reached such proportions. It is emphatically a northern 
species, and may not be at its best in locations where winters 
are not more or less severe, and where the ground is not 
covered with snow a portion of the year. This will 
certainly recommend it to a large constituency. The leaves 
are from twelve to twenty inches long, and seven or eight 
inches broad, bright green on the upper surface and pale 
steel-blue or silvery white on the lower. The flowers are 
from five to seven inches in diameter, with creamy-white 
petals and brilliant scarlet filaments. They are very 
fragrant, and appear after the foliage is fully expanded. 

M. kobtLS is also Japanese, common to the forests in 
that country, and of but recent introduction to garden 
cultivation. In its native habitat it stows to the height of 
from seventy to eighty feet, with a straight trunk nearly 
two feet in diameter and covered with slightly colored 
bark. The head is described as pyramidal in old speci- 
mens, round, and with short, slender branches. The 
flowers appear early and in advance of the foliage. They 
are white, slightly tinged with yellow, from four to five 
inches across, and without special fragrance. The leaves 
are obovate, bluish green, six or seven inches in length and 
about half as broad. It has the bad reputation of not 
blossoming when young like some others, so that in plant- 
ing for early effects one should procure as old and large 
trees as possible. It appears to be hardy, and even in the 
absence of flowers is a desirable acquisition. 

M. salicifolia. — In his visit to the Japanese forests, 
Professor Sargent found, and describes, another magnolia, 
to which the above name has been given. He speaks of it 



86 Ornamental Shrubs. 

as growing on mountains two to three thousand feet above 
the level of the sea, and also as found in swamps, as well 
as in dry situations. It thus appears on Mount Hakkodo, 
where it is a slender tree fifteen to twenty feet high, with 
ovate, acute leaves, light green above and silvery white 
below. These are some six inches long, two inches broad, 
and borne on slender, short petioles. As he did not see 
the tree in flower — and it is not known to have blossomed 
in this country or Europe — the peculiarities of the flower 
are not fully known. 

M. soulangeana is one of the hardiest members of the 
family. It is an importation from China, and supposed by 
some authorities to be a hybrid, produced, through natural 
causes, between M. conspicua and M. purpurea. The tree 
does not grow so tall as the former, but forms a low, spread- 
ing head, and produces immense blossoms, white, with 
purple at the base, affording a very attractive combination. 
It has the advantage of blossoming later than the conspicua, 
and so helps maintain a succession. M. speciosa is also a 
Chinese hybrid. The flowers are somewhat smaller than 
those of the soulangeana, appear still later, and remain 
longer on the tree. They are red and white, or rose- 
colored, and afford a marked contrast with some of the 
others described. This variation from the prevailing 
colors and the period of blossoming makes it especially 
desirable in grouping. 

M. stellata. — Few small trees or shrubs are more beauti- 
ful than this, whether planted singly or in groups of three 
or four. It is a low-growing species from Japan, seldom 
rising more than eight feet, with spreading branches which 



Magnolia. 87 

in early spring are crowded with white blossoms in advance 
of the foliage. The leaves are from three to five inches 
long, elliptic in form, and abundant. The flowers are also 
small, some three inches across, with about fifteen narrow 
petals, slightly reflexed, encompassing a cluster of bright 
yellow stamens. They are somewhat star-shaped, fragrant, 
and of longer continuance than those of most of the 
species and varieties. The plant is of slow growth, but 
has the advantage of coming into blossom when very 
small, and, under favoring conditions, every season. It is 
claimed to be the earliest bloomer of all the magnolias, as 
well as the most profuse. Its usefulness in the garden is 
sometimes impaired by late frosts and heavy rains, as it 
does not always wait for settled weather. But this is true 
of nearly all early flowering plants, such as insist upon 
crowding the season. No one will make a mistake in 
planting this magnolia, however small his grounds. 
Specimens less than two feet high often produce flowers 
freely, and so apparently out of season when contrasted 
with the surroundings as to be of especial interest. The 
plant is hardy, and thrives in ordinary soils, preferring, 
however, leaf mould and peaty substance with plenty of 
moisture. This magnolia has long been a favorite with 
the Japanese flower lovers. 

M. watsonii, newly introduced to the public, comes 
from Japan, and is a well-formed tree, producing obovate 
leaves five to seven inches long- and about three inches 
wide. These are bright green above, veined and margined 
with yellow. The under surface is a paler shade of green, 
and, especially in the younger growth, covered with silky 



88 Ornamental Shrubs. 

hairs. The flowers are white, five or six inches in diameter, 
and highly fragrant. They are especially beautiful because 
of the blood-red filaments which surround the pistils, as 
well as from their large proportions. They grow singly 
on short peduncles, and cover the tree while the foliage 




MAGNOLIA WATSONII OR PARVIFLORA. 

buds are breaking into green. M. lennei is another strik- 
ing Chinese hybrid, whose flowers are crimson or purple 
without, but white within. It is prized wherever known, 
and claimed by some to be the best of the purple varieties. 
M. purpurea, popularly known as the purple magnolia, 



Magnolia. 89 

because of the color of its flowers, is also of Chinese ex- 
traction. Downing says that both the white and the 
purple varieties "eclipse every other floral object, whether 
tree or shrub, that the garden contains." This variety is 
said to be a hybrid, and one of the more hardy sorts. The 
blossoms are white within and dark purple or lilac-colored 
without, and very fragrant. In all other particulars it 
partakes of the general characteristics of the family. 
M. atropurpurea, or dark purple magnolia, blooms in May 
and is distinguished by having the darkest-colored flowers 
of the whole list. It, too, is from China, and not at all 
common in the nurseries or in garden cultivation. It is to 
the magnolias what the purple beech is to its congeners. 

M. macrophylla, or the great-leaved magnolia, has im- 
mense leaves from one to three feet lone and ten to twelve 
inches wide. The flowers are nearly or quite a foot across, 
with white petals, purple at the base, and moderately fra- 
grant. The tree is medium sized, and has the most tropical 
appearance of any of the hardy forms. The combination 
is such that it is difficult to decide whether the leaves or 
flowers are most to be admired. It is an American 
species, and sufficiently hardy for planting in favorable 
conditions in the Northern and Eastern States. 

M. alexandrine/, is small, rising from ten to twelve 
feet, and is more of a bush than a tree. It is one of the 
earlier-blooming varieties, bearing large pink flowers in 
May, and in some favored localities late in April. It is 
more especially adapted to gardens and grounds of limited 
dimensions. M. gracilis is also shrub-like in its propor- 
tions, being not more than ten to fifteen feet high, and 



90 Ornamental Shrubs. 

producing purple flowers of deeper hue than most others 
of its class. They expand about the first of April or 
in early May, and are especially valuable for massing or 
use in borders of shrubbery. There is no doubt as to its 
hardiness in ordinary situations and its adaptability to 
various garden soils. M. norbertiana is another of the 
shrubby kind, though somewhat taller, with good foliage 
and pink blossoms appearing two or three weeks later 
than those of the last mentioned. Though good in itself, 
it is not especially to be preferred to the other pink vari- 
eties. All these low-growing sorts should be more gener- 
ally cultivated than they are now, as they may well take 
the place of plants which, though better known, are far 
less valuable where early effects are desired. 

M. obovata. — This is a rather tender species from 
Japan, and, though growing but five or six feet high and 
in bushy form, produces large and showy blossoms with 
six petals and very sweet-scented. The leaves are large, 
obovate, deep green, and of good substance throughout 
the entire summer. It is not counted entirely hardy, even 
in the Middle States. 

M. grandiflora — Evergreen Magnolia. — This is, per- 
haps, the most beautiful and interesting of all the mag- 
nolias, but, unfortunately, it is not sufficiently hardy to 
withstand the rigors of our northern winters. It is in- 
digenous to nearly all the Southern States and in some 
instances becomes a tree from seventy to eighty feet in 
height, though its average proportions in cultivation are 
much less. In all cases, it is inclined to an erect, slender, 
and somewhat pyramidal form, and thus is a most desirable 



Magnolia. 91 

tree for street planting, and the wonder is that it is not 
more largely employed in beautifying both streets and 
parks wherever it can be available. The leaves are large, 
oval-oblong, coriaceous, and bright glossy green on the 
upper surface, though somewhat rusty beneath. The 
blossoms are also large, six to eight inches in diameter, 
white, with from nine to twelve petals. They are de- 
liciously fragrant, and continue a long time in perfection. 
There has recently been more or less discussion as to the 
northern limits where this magnificent tree may be grown. 
It used to be said that it could not be depended upon 
much north of Richmond, but it has been demonstrated 
that fine specimens can be maintained not only in Wash- 
ington but even in Philadelphia. Mr. Thomas Meehan 
gives an account of a tree about thirty feet high, in one 
of the parks in the latter city, which blossoms and ripens 
seed every year ; and adds that " it is not the only one, by 
any means, to be found in the city. In Fairmount Park, 
near Horticultural Hall, there is a tree which has been 
flowering and seeding for many years. I could name a 
dozen trees thriving hereabout, several of them of flower- 
ing age. I would without hesitation lift the line of its 
hardiness from Richmond, Virginia, and set it at Philadel- 
phia." Good specimens are reported even farther north, 
as at Dorosis on Long Island, but they have to be at- 
tended to with especial care, such as only experts and en- 
thusiasts have patience to apply. Mr. Meehan reports 
having seen them growing in England north of London, 
but in almost every instance they were trained on the side 
of a building, flat and fan shaped. There are a number 



92 Ornamental Shrubs. 

of varieties of this tree, but very few, if any of them, are 
to be preferred to the original form. 

ABELIA. 

THE abelias constitute a small genus of very orna- 
mental shrubs of the order caprifoliacece, and, 
though not sufficiently hardy to withstand the 
winters of the northern parts of the United States, they 
are especially adapted to garden cultivation throughout 
the southern half of the Union. They will probably 
thrive in most locations south of Washington, through 
the Southwest and California, and with but little or no 
more care than is afforded many other choice plants that 
do not surpass them in interest or beauty. All are of 
easy cultivation and showy in both leaf and flower. The 
name was given to the genus in honor of Dr. Clark Abel, 
a noted physician and botanist, who was attached to the 
British embassy to China in 1817, and who probably first 
directed the attention of English horticulturists to their 
merit. But it does not appear that the plants were 
brought to England until Mr. Robert Fortune entered so 
largely upon his work of introducing the botanical treas- 
ures of the flowery kingdom to the European gardens. 

A. rupestris. — This species was brought from China 
to England by Mr. Fortune in 1844, but, from its real or 
supposed inability to withstand the climate of that coun- 
try, was largely treated as a conservatory or greenhouse 
plant. It has more recently been found equal to the de- 
mands in some of the southern counties, and where, 
according to a writer in The Garden, of London, it is 



Abelia. 93 

seldom injured by cold or frost. In this country it 
is found to thrive below the latitude of Washington with 
as little care as is given to many other plants in com- 
mon use. It is known to do well in Philadelphia, and 
good specimens are occasionally seen in the vicinity of 
New York, facts which fairly indicate its northern terri- 
torial range. At its best it makes a well-shaped bush 
from five to eight feet high, and usually about as many 
in diameter. When desired it can be grown on a pillar 
or trained to a wall as a low climber with good effect. 
The plant is clothed with small, oblong, glossy foliage, 
and in its season is abundant with blossoms. The tubu- 
lar flowers are of a pale rose-color without, and white 
within, continuing from July or August, according to loca- 
tion, until frost. A. r. grandiflora is a variety originated 
in Italy, which is said to be a decided improvement upon 
the type. The flowers are much larger and more beauti- 
ful, the color remaining the same, and the whole plant is 
more robust. 

A. serrata. — This is another of the broad-leaved ever- 
green species from China, and is of about the same propor- 
tions as the last. It is, however, an early spring bloomer, 
producing its terminal flowers singly, but in sufficient 
abundance to cover the entire bush. They are very large, 
pale red, and exceedingly fragrant. It has the reputation 
of not being quite so hardy as the rupestris, but as being 
especially desirable in southern localities and for green- 
house cultivation. 

A. triflora is a native of Hindoostan, and grows to a 
height of five or six feet. Its foliage also remains through 



94 Ornamental Shrubs. 

the winter months, like that of the rhododendron and the 
kalmia, and the plant should be subjected to much the 
same conditions in cultivation. The flowers are terminal, 
in threes, yellow tinged with pink, the sepals being long 
and clothed with hairs. It flowers in autumn and is one 
of the best of the late bloomers. A. floribunda is of Ameri- 
can origin, supposed to be a native of Mexico and adjacent 
territory. It is a smaller plant, growing about three or four 
feet, with opposite long leaves and damask or rosy-purple 
blossoms nearly two inches long, in clusters at the ends of 
the numerous twigs. These are very showy and appear 
in early spring. 

A. spathulata. — Though of later introduction this spe- 
cies is coming to be as well known and as fully appreciated 
as most of its predecessors. It comes from Japan and 
proves to be a much-branched and free-flowering ever- 
green shrub that is certain to attract attention wherever 
grown. The leaves are from one to two inches long, el- 
liptic-lanceolate, slightly toothed, glabrous above, some- 
what rough and hairy beneath, the edges being marked 
with purple. The flowers are nearly or quite sessile, in 
pairs, the corolla being an inch long, white within and 
marked with blotches of light yellow on the throat, ap- 
pearing early in spring. These are so numerous as to 
envelop the whole bush, and are of long continuance. It 
is believed to be adapted to more northern localities than 
most of the other sorts, but as it is not yet widely tested, 
its hardiness under adverse conditions is not fully deter- 
mined. 



Rosa Rugosa. 



95 



ROSA RUGOSA. 

THE roses are not often classed among shrubs, but 
this is justly entitled to that distinction. Though 
a true rose its shrubby characteristics could not be 
well overlooked in this connection. And when properly 




ROSA RUGOSA. 

grown and cared for, it will be found one of the most valuable 
as well as most ornamental plants in the whole list. It grows 



96 Ornamental Shrubs. 

from five to ten feet and, if permitted, will attain a diameter 
nearly or quite equal to its height, having a tendency to 
send up new stems from year to year so that there is 
scarcely a limit of possibilities in this direction. At the 
same time it is easily kept within desired bounds, while the 
fresh growths may be transplanted with entire success. The 
foliage is abundant, dark green, plicated, and dense through 
the entire summer and autumn. Were it not a flowering 
plant at all, it would still be desirable on the lawn or in the 
border. The blossoms are single, from three to four 
inches across, deep red with yellow stamens, showing abun- 
dantly in June and July, and more sparingly in midsum- 
mer and autumn. These are followed by large heps of 
scarlet-crimson which continue long into the autumn, and in 
the opinion of many are as beautiful as the blossoms them- 
selves. They form quickly, after the flowers, in succession, 
have dropped their petals, and so it is common to see both 
fruits and flowers in profusion at the same time, and, as 
both are terminal, the combination is especially effective. 
The bush is too strong a grower to be suitable for the 
ordinary rose garden, its proper place being on the lawn or 
in the border. In the gardens at Newport, Rosa rugosa 
is more freely planted than any other shrub, and particularly 
in exposed situations. It is seen in many villas on the 
highest cliffs, where it bravely withstands the fiercest winds 
that come in from open sea. In such situations the plants 
are often cut down sharply on the approach of winter, as 
they should always be when the foliage is desired near the 
ground. Left to themselves they become coarse and bare 
at the base, while if reduced in height the plant retains its 





■/I- .' 




1 


■ 

■I 




1 




; ; ^' 



98 Ornamental Shrubs. 

beauty at all times. The rapidity of its growth is such 
that if cut to one or two feet, it is sure to answer all the 
purposes of a comparatively low ornamental shrub the 
following season. 

There are several varieties and numerous hybrids 
worthy of notice. R. r. alba is much the same except in 
the color of the blossom, which is pure white and very at- 
tractive. The plant is slightly less vigorous and of smaller 
proportions, but the scarlet heps contrast so well with the 
flowers and the rich green foliage as to make it especially 
desirable. Madame Georges Bruant is a hybrid with 
broad and handsome foliage and pure white flowers in 
clusters, semi-double and quite fragrant. It blooms at 
intervals throughout the entire summer. Agnes Emily 
Carmen is a cross with Harrison's yellow, and is one of the 
best of the group. The blossoms are deep crimson, semi- 
double, borne in clusters and appearing at intervals during 
the entire season, even to the coming of frost. The foli- 
age is also good. The plant may not be quite as vigorous 
and as well adapted to rough exposures as the rugosa 
proper but it may be put down as reasonably hardy through- 
out the Northern States. 

There are other roses that may be grown in bush form, 
and are especially adapted to that treatment, but they do 
not call for description in this connection. 



Morus — Mulberry. 99 

MORUS— Mulberry. 

THE mulberries belong to the bread-fruit tree family, 
Atrocarpc, which includes some of the most in- 
teresting of nature's products. Though more 
especially adapted to the tropics, some of the species 
appear freely in the temperate zones, and are almost as 
highly prized by civilized races as others are by the savages 
who gather their daily food from the stems and boughs 
within their reach. The tribe includes, along with the poi- 
sonous upas, the famous banyan tree of India, the cele- 
brated cow tree of South America, the fig tree, and many 
others especially adapted to the wants of man and beast. 
The mulberry appears in many countries, and some of the 
forms are indigenous to eastern Asia, southern Europe, 
the United States, and Canada. The several species are 
curious and interesting, and nearly all of them are of 
especial interest to the botanist and practical horticulturist. 
They have been in cultivation from the earliest antiquity, 
and are mentioned in the Old Testament Scriptures as 
objects of interest and almost veneration. Many of them 
serve a good purpose in furnishing food, and as ornamental 
plants ; and such might be cultivated to advantage much 
more generally than they now are. The hardy species 
are easily grown and long-lived. They produce sweet and 
juicy fruit, though this is not equally palatable to all 
people. Mulberries were first introduced into England 
in the year 1548, and afterwards became so popular that 
" the mulberry gardens " were a prominent feature of 
some of the best estates. These plantations were util- 



IOO 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



ized in furnishing food for silkworms, as well as pro- 
ducing fruits for the table, and for the manufacture of 




RUSSIAN WEEPING MULBERRY. 



wine. All the species are late in putting forth their leaves 
in spring. The foliage, when it does appear, is a bright, 



Morus — Mulberry. 101 

dark green, and contrasts finely with the colors of most 
other trees in the vicinity. 

The red mulberry, M. rubra, is the only species indi- 
genous to New England. It is a medium-sized tree with 
large, rough, heart-shaped leaves, sometimes serrate and 
sometimes lobed. The flowers are of a greenish-yellow 
tint, small and numerous, followed by dark red fruit, sweet 
to the taste and preferable to that of most other sorts. 
The wood is hard, strong, and very durable, and is often 
used in boat building, and for posts whenever it can be 
obtained in sufficient quantities. Though not strictly a 
first-class tree for ornamental planting or for purposes of 
forestry, it is worthy of a place in every large collection. 

The black mulberry, M. nigra, was carried from 
Persia to Europe in the 16th century, and thence brought 
to America, where it has been cultivated to a limited extent 
in gardens and private grounds. The foliage is much the 
same as that of the preceding, and the fruit, in the form of 
a spike composed of numerous calyces and carpels, is 
succulent, and, to many people, of pleasant taste, but not 
to all. It is said to be a very long-lived tree and to grow 
well in most parts of the country. The white-fruited 
mulberry, M. alba, is a well-known silkworm species, at 
one time very popular, but now much neglected. It is a 
medium-sized tree with succulent leaves growing- in great 
abundance. It is worth growing only as a curiosity. The 
Spanish mulberry, M. hispanica, has large, smooth leaves, 
and from the vigor of its growth and its rich purple fruit is 
by many preferred to all others for garden planting. 



102 Ornamental Shrubs. 

PYRUS JAPONICA— Japan Quince. 

THIS popular shrub, formerly known as Cydonia 
japonica, was brought to England as early as 1815, 
where it was received with much favor and thence 
distributed on the continent. Wherever it is known, it is 
recognized as one of the best of the many good plants 
that the Island Empire has yet given to the western 
world. Still its merits do not appear to be fully appre- 
ciated by many, not to say most, of the planters of the 
present day. Nicholson in his Dictionary of Gardening, 
quotes approvingly an earlier authority to the effect that 
it is " one of the most desirable deciduous shrubs in culti- 
vation, whether as a bush or on the open lawn, trained 
against a wall, or treated as an ornamental hedge plant. It 
has also been trained as a standard, and in this character its 
pendant branches and numerous flowers give it a rich and 
striking appearance, especially in spring. It is difficult to 
unite with its congeners by grafting ; but if it could be 
grafted high on the pear, the hawthorn, or even the quince, 
it would form a most delightful little tree. It is readily pro- 
pagated by layers or suckers, and also grows by cuttings." 
There are numerous varieties growing from five to eight 
feet in height, and if trained with that end in view, nearly 
or quite as many in diameter. Some of these are scarcely 
known to the general public but all are worthy of considera- 
tion. Probably the most perfect collection is to be found 
at the Arnold Arboretum (Harvard University) and they 
are described in brief by C. J. Dawson, the superintend- 
ent, as follows : 



Pyrus Japonica — Japan Quince. 103 

" The type, Pyrus japonica, has a very dark red flower 
of considerable size ; the foliage takes on a purplish tinge 
and the habit is upright. P. j . moorlosi is an extremely 
fine variety. In habit it is low with arching branches, in 
fact, almost pendulous, the foliage very slender and nar- 
row, while the medium-sized flowers are pink and white 
in color. P. j. wallardi is of medium good upright habit 
with flowers of the very darkest crimson in color. P. j. 
atrosanguinea is similar to moorlosi, only the habit is not 
so airy, the flowers are not borne so abundantly, and the 
leaves are much larger and not so narrow. 

" P.j. macrocarpa is of a splendid spreading habit with 
dark foliage and medium-sized flowers of a light carmine- 
red color. P. j. foliis rubris : The foliage is decidedly 
colored, the flowers salmon-red in color, while the habit 
of the plant is very compact and not of the average 
height. P. j. roseo jiore pleno has good semi-double 
deep rose flowers of large size. P. j. versicolor : Flowers 
pink and white, the habit of the plant being very compact. 
P. j. atrosanguinea plena : In this variety the habit is 
very dwarf and compact and it is a decidedly free bloomer. 
The flowers, of a deep red, are only slightly double. P. j. 
grandifiora : One of the best ; flowers very large, pink and 
white in color, and very fine airy habit. P. j. umelblata : 
Also a very good variety, with flowers of deep rose color 
borne very abundantly. P. j. nivalis is a splendid white 
variety, laden with medium-sized flowers. P. j. simplex 
alba : The flowers a trifle larger than nivalis, the last two 
being both excellent varieties." 

Pynts maulei, a more recent species of Japan quince, 



104 Ornamental Shrubs. 

is also attractive ; it is much dwarfer, seldom growing 
more than three feet in height, and very compact in habit. 
It is more covered with thorns than the japonica type, and 
the colors take on a different tone of reds and pinks than 
do the older Japan quinces. Its various forms make 
one of our most beautiful of recently introduced shrubs. 

It is to be regretted that with all their good qualities 
these plants are not more freely used for hedges, as they 
are certainly superior in many respects to the privets 
which are now so freely employed. Their foliage takes 
on various shades of color as the season advances, from 
olive to pink, the latter appearing often in the new growth 
after cutting back or trimming. Under such circum- 
stances the hedge seems crowned with scarlet, answering 
to the show of flowers in early springtime. Such a hedge 
is not so easily broken down as those composed of less 
thorny plants, nor will it require so much cutting as 
though composed of shrubs disposed to larger propor- 
tions. It may be as cheaply planted and as readily 
grown, the cost of keeping in order being less. Besides, 
the owner would have the satisfaction of breaking in upon 
the monotony that now threatens the almost exclusive use 
of a single type. 

PYRUS MALUS— Flowering Apple— Crab. 

THE apple blossom is always beautiful, and yet but 
comparatively few persons think of growing the 
tree simply as an ornament for field or garden. 
Perhaps in the minds of some the very fact that the apple 
is one of our most common as well as most useful fruits 



106 Ornamental Shrubs. 

shuts it out of consideration in this connection. But there 
are species and varieties that are both rare and ornamental 
in the highest degree, and that need only to be known 
to make for themselves a place in every considerable col- 
lection where best results are desired. To some of the 
most desirable of these attention may well be called. In 
their wild state they are almost universally known as crabs, 
and as such are indigenous to most of the temperate regions 
of both Europe and America. 

P. m. coronaria, the American crab, is a native of the 
United States, and outside of cultivation is probably 
found at its best on the Alleghany Mountains, where it 
appears as a small and shapely tree, growing to a height 
of about twenty feet. Though perfectly hardy, it has not 
shown itself to be very aggressive, as its range is quite 
limited. Still, it is found, though in comparatively small 
numbers, in locations much farther north. The beauty 
of its blossoms early attracted attention, as they are large, 
rose-colored, and very fragrant ; the odor, in the opinion 
of many persons, resembling that of the common sweet 
violet. The fruit, though not of much economic value, 
is also fragrant and interesting ; the apples are small and 
exceedingly numerous, and hang long on the branches. 
Some of the supposed varieties are still more beautiful 
than the type, especially those with variegated foliage. 
That known to the trade as P. m. aucub&folia has leaves 
which are distinctly marked with white, and in some cases 
shaded with pink, and is very desirable. Another, known 
as the double white-flowering apple, P. m. alba plena, pro- 
duces large double blossoms which are very sweet-scented. 



Pyrus Malus — Flowering Apple — Crab. 107 

This is much smaller than its parent, growing but five or 
six feet high. 

A Chinese crab, P. m. sftectabilis, grows to a height of 
twenty to thirty feet, and has large, pale red or rose- 




DOUBLE FLOWERING APPLE. 



colored, semi-double flowers in April or May. They are 
nearly sessile, and appear in umbels. The leaves are 
oblong, oval, and smooth, and give the tree a somewhat 
showy appearance at all times. The fruit is not especially 
good. The variety known as flore roseo pleno produces 
double rose-colored flowers nearly two inches in diameter. 



108 Ornamental Shrubs. 

These appear in May, and are also very fragrant, making 
the plant in every way desirable for ornamental purposes. 

P. m. floribnnda, the Japanese flowering apple, is one 
of the most interesting acquisitions that has been made 
to our list of ornamental trees in many years. It grows 
five to six feet in height, has small, obovate leaves, and 
produces beautiful, rich, rosy-red blossoms in great abun- 
dance in early spring, and sparingly throughout the sum- 
mer. The shoots are slender, and often bend beneath the 
weight of the small apples which are borne on long stems, 
and it is difficult to tell whether the shrub is more to 
be desired for its appearance when in flower or in fruit. 
Of this Garden and Forest says, editorially : " This, it 
seems to us, is the most beautiful of its race, and one of 
the best ornamental plants in cultivation. It is particu- 
larly beautiful before the flowers expand, when the bright 
red flower-buds cover the branches. The Japanese crab 
should be planted in rich soil, and allowed plenty of room 
in which to spread its wand-like branches. * * * Im- 
proving with age, the Japanese crab grows more beautiful 
every year ; the severest winters leave it uninjured, and 
insects and diseases pass it by. The variety with bright 
pink, semi-double flowers, known as Pyrus parkmannii, is 
equally beautiful, though it is a rather less hardy plant." 

The Siberian crab, P. m. prunifolia, has been much 
planted, and has also many good qualities. The white, 
single flowers often cover the entire tree, and give ft a 
showy head in April or May. The fruit when ripe is 
yellow, with the side toward the sun showy red. The 
tree is of larger growth than most of its class, rising some 



Pyrus Malus — Flowering Apple — Crab. 109 

twenty feet, and is suitable for either the orchard or the 
garden. 

What is called Bechtel's crab is a new American 
product, and is already regarded as one of the best that 




BRANCH OF FLOWERING CRAB. 



has made its appearance. It is supposed to have sprung 
from the western form of P. m. coronaria, having origi- 
nated at Stanton, 111., and has been put on the market 
within a very few years. It produces large double pink 
blossoms, much resembling small roses, and in great 
abundance. They are also exceedingly fragrant and said 



no Ornamental Shrubs. 

to answer the purpose of cut flowers, retaining their good 
qualities for a long time. Unlike most of the crabs, the 
blossoms do not appear until the foliage is well advanced, 
the bush being thus in leaf and flower at the same time, 
a decided novelty in this class of plants. The tree is a 
rather slow grower when young, but has the habit of 
blooming when very small, often when not more than two 
feet hieh. This, in connection with the fact that it 
lengthens the season of apple-blossoming nearly two weeks, 
makes it especially desirable in connection with the other 
and earlier sorts. 

BERBERIS— Barberry. 

THIS is an interesting group of hardy plants, with 
an Arabic name, though indigenous to many sec- 
tions of Europe, Asia, and America, as well as 
Arabia. A few are evergreens, but by far the greater 
number are deciduous, growing in bushy forms and in 
almost every kind of soil, though not favorably disposed 
to low, marshy situations. It is said that there are some 
fifty species, to which may be added several varieties of 
special value and well known in cultivation. Some are 
but a few inches in height, with round, compact heads, 
while others grow to ten or twenty feet, specimens occa- 
sionally appearing in tree form rather than as bushes or 
shrubs. They have, as a rule, yellowish wood and inner 
bark, ovate and pointed thorny foliage slightly serrate, and 
numerous yellow flowers. The fruit is mostly scarlet or 
crimson, and so intensely acid that birds will not eat it ; 
but, properly prepared with sugar, the berries of some 



Berberis — Barberry. 1 1 1 

species make excellent preserves and syrups for the table. 
The roots and sometimes the bark are used for the pro- 
duction of a yellow dye used in coloring. Both the root 
and bark, as well as the leaves, are esteemed valuable for 
their medicinal qualities. A peculiarity of the flower is 
that some of its parts are possessed of a remarkable 
degree of irritability, so that if the filaments are touched 
on the inside with even the point of a needle, the stamens 
are thrown down upon the stigma, and the petals incline 
in the same direction, showing what appears to be a wreck 
of the entire floral structure. But the seeming ruin is 
not permanent. Equanimity is soon restored, and the 
several parts slowly resume their places, when the flower 
lives on as though nothing unusual had occurred. 

The common barberry, Berberis vulgaris, a native of 
Europe, is usually a low, bushy shrub, but capable of 
being trained into almost any form desired. It produces 
its bright yellow flowers in May or June, and they 
are followed by small, oblong, acid fruit. The branches 
are provided with sharp spines, and the leaves are also 
pointed with bristles, making the shrub difficult to han- 
dle. When planted in rows and properly cut in, it makes 
an almost impenetrable hedge against man or beast. It 
is a long-lived plant, notwithstanding its diminutive size. 
This shrub is so widely distributed throughout the coun- 
try as to lead to the supposition that it is a native of the 
soil. But it is not. Having been brought here and 
planted by our forefathers, it kept pace with the growing 
population, and having in a measure escaped from civil- 
ization, it planted itself along the roadsides, passed over 



ii2 Ornamental Shrubs. 

the walls and fences, and in some instances took possession 
of entire fields and hillsides to the exclusion of the forms 
of plant life that had long had possession, somewhat after 
the manner of the conquests made by the pale-faces in 
their strifes with the natives. There is a variety that 
has richly colored purple foliage, and that proves very 
effective in planting, either by itself or in combination 
with other sorts. Its general characteristics are much the 
same as those of the type, and, whether planted singly, 
in masses, or in the border, it is equally good, and capa- 
ble of affording most desirable contrasts. But for the 
best results it must have plenty of sunshine and not be 
grown in too moist a soil. Standing side by side with 
yellow-leaved plants, the combination of purple and gold 
is all that can be desired. Unlike many of the so-called 
foliage plants, it holds its cclor from spring to autumn, 
and can be used on large or small estates to advantage. 

The American species, B. canadensis, was so named by 
Pursh, the distinguished botanist, but is not a native of 
Canada or even of New England or New York. It is 
indigenous to the Alleghany Mountain region, thence 
southward to the Gulf and to some sections west of the 
Mississippi. In general it is much the same as the vulgaris, 
but with botanical differences sufficient to maintain a 
specific classification. It is a more diminutive shrub, 
having smaller and less bristly, pointed leaves, fewer- 
petalled flowers, and less conspicuous fruit. But in the 
general outline to the unscientific eye the two are much 
the same. It is entirely hardy, and has been found able 
to withstand intense cold, provided it is favored with a 



Berberis — Barberry. 1 1 3 

well-drained soil. In many sections the farmers believe 
that the presence of either of these barberries causes rust 
in wheat and perhaps other growing crops, as the under 
side of the leaves is often of a brown or rusty color. 
But it is known that rust is largely a fungous growth, 
and that the fungus is of such a different character that 
the disease, even when existing in the same vicinage, 
could not have been transferred from one to the other. 
There is probably, therefore, no good reason for the 
widespread prejudice among the agriculturists against 
these plants. 

The box-leaved barberry, B. biixifolia, is so named 
from the resemblance of its foliage to the common box 
famous in old-fashioned gardens. It is also known as 
the sweet-fruited barberry, B. dulcis, and some have sup- 
posed that the two names designated distinct species, but 
this is not the fact. This shrub comes from the Straits 
of Magellan, and is counted an evergreen, though in very 
cold climates it is not strictly such. The leaves are 
oblong, smooth, and glossy, without hairs or spines, and 
about half an inch in length, with very short footstalks. 
The cup-shaped, amber-yellow flowers appear very early, 
almost before the winter is past, and are borne on slen- 
der, pendulous stalks in great abundance, and followed 
by dark-colored fruit. Under favorable circumstances 
the shrub grows to the height of six to eigdit feet. Dar- 
win's barberry, B. darwinii, grows but about two feet, and 
produces an abundance of orange-colored flowers in May, 
and sometimes again in autumn. The deep purple ber- 
ries are oblong and about an inch in length, and armed 



H4 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



with teeth. The species has the advantage of being an 
evergreen, and, as the branches are numerous and the 
foliage dense, it is showy in winter as well as in summer. 
The Japanese barberry, B.jaftonzca, is a compact shrub, 
seldom growing more than two to four feet, and having 




BERBERIS JAPONICA. 



unbranched stems covered by a grayish bark. The com- 
pound leaves are about three inches long, dark green 
above and lighter beneath, and composed of from seven 
to nine leaflets. They are armed with slender but sharp 
spines, and not easily handled. In autumn the foliage 
assumes brilliant shades of orange and scarlet. The 



Berberis — Barberry. 1 1 5 

flowers are large and in terminal racemes three inches 
in length. This species is claimed by some to be the 
most beautiful of all the barberries, though not so widely 
known and generally cultivated as some others. It is 
found to be reasonably hardy in the Northern States. 

Another Japanese species, B. vircscens, was introduced 
in this country in 1849, an d, after long testing, was offered 
by nurserymen in the market. The flowers are small, in 
short racemes, and yellow tinged with green, the fruit 
oblong, compressed, and purple-scarlet in color. The first 
specimens brought to Europe came from an elevation of 
nearly nine thousand feet above the level of the sea, and 
the species ought to be hardy in any ordinary locality. 
It is highly praised by those who know it best. The 
many-flowered barberry, B. floribunda, is also a native 
of Asia. Its yellow blossoms are in pendulous racemes, 
in which they hang somewhat loosely, appearing in June. 
They are pretty, though not especially striking. The 
leaves are obovate, long, and tapering toward the base 
almost to a point. The shrub attains a height of six to 
ten feet. 

Thunberg's barberry, B. thunbergii, came from Japan, 
and is a most valuable acquisition. Though not yet 
largely distributed, it is to be found in not a few gardens, 
and is everywhere looked upon with especial favor. It 
is said that the Japanese prize it not only as the best of 
its family, but also as one of their most charming plants. 
The bush grows five feet, and has numerous slender 
stems and branches, some of which are upright and 
others almost horizontal or even pendulous, all being 




n6 Ornamental Shrubs. 

armed with small but stiff and sharp spines. The spoon- 
shaped leaves are small, dark, and glossy, green in spring 
and summer, end in autumn take on a variety of hues — 
crimson, orange, and bronze — which are retained for some 
weeks. The flowers are solitary, distributed along the 

branches, and 
of a lighter 
shade of yellow 
than those of 
most others. 
They appear 

FRUITING BRANCH, BERBERIS. • pgr-Jy SDrillO" 

and are followed by an abundance of fruit which hangs 
from the under side of the branches from one end to the 
other, and covers the whole bush. The oblong berries 
are bright scarlet in color, exceedingly showy, and never 
fail to give the shrub a most charming appearance in late 
autumn and early winter. It is a peculiarity of these 
berries that they contain very little pulp or juice, and 
so do not shrivel or even wrinkle after they ripen, even 
though subjected to frost and repeated freezing. They 
are very persistent, and retain their places far into, and 
sometimes through, the winter, and up to the time of 
blossomine for the next season. This alone would cause 
the plant to be most highly esteemed, as it is not often 
that a shrub is found which is almost equally attractive 
in spring and summer, autumn and winter. Whether 
standing as a solitary shrub on the lawn or in the garden, 
planted in groups or placed in the border or hedgerow, 
B. thunbergii never fails, when thus fruited, to brighten 



n8 Ornamental Shrubs. 

the landscape and relieve the dullest months of the year 
of much of their monotony and gloom. It is thoroughly 
hardy, a good grower, and needs but little care, since 
it naturally assumes a good form and retains it from 
year to year. It may safely be put down, all things 
considered, as one of the very best of the barberries for 
ornamental planting. 

An evergreen species, B. wallichiana, is a very showy 
little shrub, and quite distinct. It forms a dense, com- 
pact bush, fully clothed with large, oblong-shaped leaves 
of a deep glossy-green tint. The bright, clear yellow 
flowers are borne in May or June, and are followed by pur- 
ple berries. It is highly ornamental throughout the entire 
year. The plant comes from the Himalayas, and appears 
to be entirely hardy in this country. It is sometimes 
known as B. hookeri. 

Another, B. concinna, is a recent introduction and also 
a native of the Himalayas. It is a low-growing bush 
with bright red bark on the numerous small branches. 
The foliage is dark glossy-green above and lighter beneath, 
the leaves being very small and interesting. It produces 
deep yellow flowers and bright scarlet fruit, and is ap- 
parently a decided acquisition. B. cretica, from Asia 
Minor, has dense, handsome foliage, dark green, with 
pale yellow flowers in drooping racemes. A Siberian 
species, B. emarginata, is a small plant of upright habit, 
having leaves finely serrated and becoming brilliant red 
in autumn, making it one of the choice varieties. B. 
hakodate is a new species from Japan, a more vigorous 
grower than most of the other new sorts, having larger 



Gardenia — Cape Jessamine. 119 

leaves, and foliage which is brilliant red or scarlet. 
B. sinensis has its fruit in racemes, and it is large and 
brilliant red, hanging on late into the winter. B. illicifolia 
comes from Terra del Fuego, and has foliage resembling 
that of the holly. It is nearly evergreen in the North, 
and wholly so in the South, where it proves very effective 
as a garden plant. 

GARDENIA — Cape Jessamine. 

THE gardenias are all natives of warm climates, being 
indigenous to tropical Asia and southern Africa, 
especially to the region about the Cape of Good 
Hope. They are delightful plants in cultivation, but are 
not suitable for northern gardens. They belong to the 
order Rubiacecz, and constitute a genus of about sixty spe- 
cies, all evergreens, growing in shrubby form, with good 
foliage and large white blossoms. These last are some- 
what funnel-shaped, having tubes much longer than the 
calyx, and being deliciously fragrant. They are especially 
prized for cutting, and bear the operation well. The 
blossoms come forward freely in succession. Whether 
grown in the open ground or under cover, they are of the 
easiest possible cultivation. The species and varieties 
best known in the South are all natives of China and 
Japan, though the list might well be enlarged and enriched 
by additions from other countries if desired. 

G. florida is probably best known in American gardens 
and, with its varieties, most fully appreciated. The double 
white flowers are solitary, almost sessile, usually terminal, 
and deliciously fragrant. They appear in midsummer, 



120 



Ornamental Shrubs. 




and continue in succession for a long time. One of the 
varieties, G. fortunei, is in some respects to be preferred, 

as it blooms somewhat 
earlier, with equal pro- 
fusion, and is of a 
brighter and glossier 
shade of green with 
opposite leaves in 
whorls. 

G. nitida is a native 
of Sierra Leone, and 
has white solitary flow- 
ers appearing later in 
gardenia Florida. October and Novem- 

ber. The tube is narrow, seven-parted, and reflexed. 
The foliage is oblong-lanceolate, glossy, and attractive at 
all seasons of the year. It grows as a compact bush from 
two to three feet high. The flowers of G. radicans are 
salver-shaped, but in most other respects like others of its 
class. They come forward among the first of the gardenias, 
appearing in June. There are also several variegated 
varieties in which the leaves are striped and spotted and 

very pretty. 

SPIRAEA. 

TH E spiraeas belong to the rose family, Rosacea, and 
are among our best-known and most popular 
shrubs. The genus includes about fifty species, 
with numerous well-marked varieties which are perpetuated 
in cultivation, and some of which are greatly superior to 
the originals. They are indigenous to Europe, Asia, and 



Spiraea. 121 

America, but are seldom found in tropical climates or 
south of the equator. The species and varieties are too 
numerous to be fully described in this connection, or even 
named. They nearly all have alternate leaves, simple or 
pinnate, and small white or rose-colored blossoms. These 
last appear in cymes, corymbs, and panicles, the parts of 
the flowers being mostly in fives. As hardy shrubs they 
thrive in almost any good soil, and can be grown with 
little care. Some of the species are mere herbs, dying 
down to the root in winter and reappearing in early spring, 
and others are large and vigorous-growing shrubs, assum- 
ing at times almost a tree form. 

^. opulifolia. — This is one of the most prominent of 
the American species, the familiar " ninebark " of our 
swamps and lowlands. It grows six to seven feet, with a 
rugged stem, and loose gray bark easily peeling off, 
whence comes its popular name. The branches are re- 
curved, the leaves three-lobed and doubly serrate, and the 
flowers white, succeeded by bladdery pods turning to purple 
as autumn approaches. It is altogether a good plant, and 
will thrive in dry soils as well as in those which are wet. 
What is known as the golden spiraea, ^. 0. aurea, a variety 
of the opulifolia, has bright yellow leaves, and is especially 
desirable as a foliage plant. No one who has seen good 
specimens in masses or interspersed among other sorts, will 
hesitate to pronounce this one of the best ornamental 
shrubs we have in cultivation. It grows to a similar height 
with the parent, and is especially bright in spring while 
the leaves are young and fresh. The flowers are double, 
appearing in June. 



122 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



S. salicifolia, the meadow-sweet, is one of the best- 
known of the smaller American sorts. It grows freely 




SPIR/EA TOMENTOSA. 



in moist places, on the borders of meadows or the edges 
of swamps, and is a low shrub of from two to four feet. 



Spiraea. 123 

The leaves are oblong and glabrous, two to three inches 
in length, with serrated edges. The flowers are in upright 
terminal panicles or cymes, and appear in July, continuing 
through August. It is probably more largely cultivated 
in Europe than in the country of its nativity. The steeple- 
bush or hardhack, ^. tomentosa, is another common sort, 
two to three feet high, which grows freely in most parts 
of the United States. The stems are brown, smooth, and 
thickly studded with oblong leaves bright green above 
and whitish beneath. The flowers are in a dense, tapering 
panicle, spiral in form, appearing in July and continuing 
several weeks. They are usually of a purplish-rose color, 
and quite showy. 

.S. prunifolia flore plcno, the double-flowering, plum- 
leaved spiraea, is a shrub of the highest value. It was 
introduced to European cultivation by Dr. Siebold, who 
found it growing in Japanese gardens, though its native 
country is said to be China or Corea. It grows from six 
to ten feet high, in bushy form, and with numerous long, 
slender branches covered with smooth bark often divid- 
ing- into thin scales. The leaves are lanceolate, small, 
and numerous, smooth above and downy on the under 
side, and take on beautiful autumn tints. The double 
white flowers come forth in early spring, covering the 
whole length of the arching branches. This species is 
more widely distributed than most of the others. S. 
trilobata is a native of the Altaian Alps, and has three- 
lobed foliage. It is of somewhat diminutive proportions, 
about two feet high, and produces a multitude of small 
white flowers in compact, umbel-like corymbs, appearing 



124 Ornamental Shrubs. 

in May. When a small, early-flowering plant is desired, this 
is quite certain to give satisfaction. 

.S. callosa was introduced to this country from China 
by Mr. Fortune, and is one of the best. It is of low 
growth with numerous slender branches, and produces an 
abundance of pink or rosy blossoms in flat corymbs in 
June, which continue to appear through most of the sum- 
mer. The variety known as the S. callosa alba, sometimes 
called Fortune's dwarf, is especially valuable. It usually 
forms a well-rounded head of many branches, crowded 
with white flowers that hang long and are followed by 
conspicuous bunches of seeds continuing late into autumn. 
For borders to garden walks or for low, ornamental hedges 
it is scarcely excelled. As a single plant or in masses on 
the lawn it is equally desirable. Another variety is the 
S. callosa superba, also of dwarfish habit and possessed of 
the same general characteristics, but producing greenish- 
white flowers in August and September. The variety 
known to the nurserymen as S. callosa semperfiorens is 
much the same, but with red flowers instead of white. 

^. thunbergii is a low, bushy shrub from the mountains 
of Japan, and one of the very best of the genus. It 
grows three to five feet, with a dense, bushy head and 
numerous small leaves which in late summer and early 
autumn take on most beautiful shades of gold, bronze, 
and green. Few shrubs so enliven the border or are so 
attractive as single specimens. No one who plants even 
a small place should fail to make use of this choice species. 
It is a very early bloomer, the flowers being in threes, not 
large, but so numerous as to cover the whole bush, with its 



126 Ornamental Shrubs. 

beautiful foliage as its chief attraction in late summer and 
autumn. It is hardy, and adapts itself to almost any soil 
and situation. 61 media is taller, often growing to a height 
of six feet. Its greenish-white blossoms appear about the 
same time, and are almost equally showy, but not of quite 
so long continuance. It is, however, a good plant, and 
would be very desirable if the others were not in com- 
petition. And this will apply to the 61 hypericifolia, or 
St. Peter's-wort, a kind scarcely needed under present 
conditions in making up a good collection. 

S.fortunei has better foliage than some of the common 
sorts, and produces flat cymes of rose-colored or pink 
flowers in June. Though good in itself it is not superior 
to most of the others here named. 

6 1 . van houttei is a later introduction from Japan, and 
has been much praised. It grows in the form of a low, 
spreading bush with curved branches, and is from four to 
six feet high. While not surpassing some others as a 
foliage plant, its smooth, trifoliate leaves, and well-rounded 
form give it a fine appearance, and it is doubtful if any 
shrub of its dimensions under cultivation will produce a 
greater abundance of blossoms in the same period of time. 
They are white, appearing in May, literally covering every 
branch from end to end, so as to present much the ap- 
pearance of a huge bouquet. When done flowering, the 
stems are almost as fully covered with the growing and 
ripening fruit. Nothing is of easier culture. I have 
taken up, with but ordinary care, large specimens when in 
full bloom, and replanted them without the slightest ill 
effect at the time or during the following season. 



Spiraea. 



127 



^. bumalda is a very choice species of dwarf but vig- 
orous habit. It grows two to three feet in height, with 







SPIR/EA ANTHONY WATERER. 



numerous slender branches. The foliage is dense and 
good throughout all the summer months, and when the 
bush is crowned with a profusion of crimson or rosy-pink 



128 Ornamental Shrubs. 

flowers it is an object of rare beauty, whether seen singly, 
in groups, or in the border. Few plants answer better 
for bedding out, as it is more showy than the gera- 
nium or the coleus, and does not need renewing every 
year. The blossoms appear about midsummer and con- 
tinue until cold weather. S. anthony waterer comes to 
us from England as a recent production, and is presented 
as a variety of .SI bumalda. It is dwarf in habit, compact, 
strong in growth, and perfectly hardy. The flowers are 
in larger heads than in the original, appearing in June, and 
if the old ones are removed as they begin to decay, they 
will be succeeded by new ones, though more sparingly, 
until frost. In color they are bright crimson or deep pink, 
and as they envelop the bush the plant becomes one of the 
most conspicuous objects in the garden. It grows from 
two to three feet, and is well adapted to edgings of bor- 
ders or paths, but is never more beautiful than when 
planted in masses. 

S. reevesii, as known in the catalogues, is a Chinese 
species, and one of the most beautiful-flowering sorts of 
the whole family. The blossoms are larger than in most 
of the early bloomers, of the purest white, and exceedingly 
abundant. But it cannot be depended upon in our far 
northern climate without especial care and protection, 
though south of New York it does well. The flowers 
come in round clusters early in June. There is a 
double-flowering variety of this species which is of 
much value where climatic conditions are favorable. 
But, unfortunately, it is probably even less hardy than 
the type. How far south it may thrive is scarcely yet 



130 Ornamental Shrubs. 

determined, but it bids fair to be a boon to the gardens 
of that section. 

S.gigantea, as its name suggests, is probably the largest 
member of the family. When grown in good, moist soil 
it reaches an altitude of eight or ten feet, with a well- 
rounded, bushy form. Its flowers are in large white clus- 
ters, and very effective. It is especially suited to planting 
by running streams and bodies of water, or in positions 
where a showy plant is wanted to hide obnoxious objects. 
Except in very large grounds it is not adapted to the border. 
The plant is seldom found in cultivation, or even named 
in nurserymen's catalogues. 

S. aricefolia is a native of the Pacific slope, ranging in 
its habitat from southern California to Manitoba. Though 
found as far north as the 49th degree of latitude, and 
on the Rocky Mountain slopes, it has been accounted 
somewhat tender in New England, and as needing slight 
protection in winter. This estimate of its weakness is not 
borne out by experiments in Newport, though it is doubt- 
less well to give it as favorable conditions as practicable. 
As seen there it grows as a small shrub, with numerous 
branches covered with ashy-gray bark which later assumes 
a darker hue. The foliage is so plentiful that in a well- 
grown specimen the stems are scarcely visible. The 
flowers are individually small, white tinted with green and 
yellow, and in quite large terminal panicles, continuing 
about three weeks from the first of July. They have a 
peculiar odor which has been compared to that of chest- 
nut blossoms or sweet birch. The plant is especially 
valuable as an under-shrub, and it grows well in shady 



Spiraea. 131 

situations, even if it does not prefer them. This charac- 
teristic makes it a valuable acquisition, for almost every 
owner of an estate finds places which it is difficult to 
cover for want of sufficient sunshine. Under favorable 
conditions the bush is said to grow six to eight feet high, 
but it is usually much lower. Some of the botanists have 
been inclined to consider 6". aricefolia as a variety of 61 
discolor, instead of being a distinct species, and some are 
even doubting whether it is a true spiraea at all. These 
are calling it Holodiscus discolor. A rose is just as sweet 
by any other name. 

S. regeliana, though not widely distributed, is a good 
plant. It has dense panicles of pink blossoms about the 
first of July, and one of its distinctive peculiarities is that 
during the summer new stems shoot up which blossom 
late in the season, thus prolonging the period of flowering 
to autumn. It grows from three to five feet high and is 
hardy. 

6". cana is one of the smaller spiraeas, seldom rising 
more than two feet, and broadening its diameter into a 
well-rounded bush as large across as it is high. It is a 
native of the Croatian Alps, and appropriately named, inas- 
much as the foliage takes on a grayish hue and in some cases 
becomes almost white. For this reason the tiny blossoms 
are less conspicuous than they might otherwise be, as they 
also are white and scattered alone the stems and branches 
in great profusion. Where indigenous it grows freely 
among the rocks and in dry and barren places which 
there abound, and is doubtless the best adapted to such 
situations of all the spiraeas. It is in use in England, 



132 Ornamental Shrubs. 

especially in planting rockeries, for which it serves an 
excellent purpose and is highly prized. For some reason 
it is scarcely known in American gardens, but should no 
longer be overlooked, especially for rockwork. 

6*. lindleyana differs from most of the species in having 
pinnate foliage, with from nine to twenty-one leaflets, 
nearly or quite sessile, ovate-lanceolate and sharply ser- 
rated. It comes from the Himalayas, and blossoms in 
September, the flowers being white, very large, and dis- 
posed in panicles at the ends of the branches. It is a 
distinct addition to the fall bloomers, and so can be used 
to advantage. It rises from four to six feet. It is counted 
hardy, though in some latitudes it freezes to the ground, 
but makes growth enough during the summer following 
to permit it to be as floriferous as though its stem and 
branches had withstood the wintry blasts unscathed. In 
fact, the young foliage is more vigorous and showy than 
when produced on the last year's growth. 6". sorbifolia is 
another form with pinnate leaves, and sessile leaflets lance- 
olate and doubly as well as sharply serrated. It, too, has 
large white flowers in terminal panicles, but they appear 
in July and August, a month earlier than the preceding. 
It is a native of Siberia. 

kS". arguta is a more recent introduction from Japan, and 
is closely related to the thunbergii of the same country. 
It grows about three feet in height, with numerous slen- 
der branches, forming a rather open head with small, deep 
green leaves. The flowers are small, pearly white, and in 
such abundance as to envelop the whole bush. /These 
break out in very early spring, appearing in April or May, 



Spiraea. 133 

according to location. The plant is entirely hardy 
throuehout the Northern States, and is known to thrive 
far south, and westward to the Rocky Mountains. Some 
authorities pronounce it the best of all the smaller spiraeas 
as a spring bloomer, and it is certainly an elegant shrub, 




SPIR/EA ARQUTA. 



and as such, when better known, is sure to occupy a promi- 
nent place in garden cultivation. 

There is a multitude of additional species and varieties, 
each with its special merits, but so closely resembling one 
or more of those already described that the differences are 
of slight significance in practical application. One can 
scarcely go amiss in making selections, keeping in view 
what is wanted as to size and season of flowering. 



134 Ornamental Shrubs. 

XANTHOCERAS. 
Xanthoceras sorbifolia is a small tree but little known 
among horticulturists and gardeners, though it has been 
long enough in the country to have gained a much wider 
distribution had its merits been fully appreciated. It is a 
native of China, and is the only species of its type, of the 
order Sapindacece. The name comes from two words, 
xantkos, signifying yellow, and keras, horn, and is applied 
because of the peculiar horn-like glands or nectaries be- 
tween the petals. It is said in its native country to form 
a tree in some instances twelve to fifteen feet high, but in 
American gardens the few specimens known have reached 
little more than half those proportions. What they may 
do in the future in this direction it is not easy to deter- 
mine. The leaves are alternate, compound, and serrate, 
resembling those of the mountain ash, while the flowers 
are white with blood-red streaks at the base, having five 
petals and eight stamens. They are produced in simple 
racemes at the end of the branches, the individual flowers 
being about an inch in diameter. These are not only very 
attractive, but they are followed by a three-celled fruit said 
to be " of the size of an apple," which, considering the 
different sizes to which apples grow, is not very definite. 

This shrub, instead of being new, was first pictured and 
described in the London Garden as long ago as 1875, and 
it has been more or less in cultivation in Europe aud 
America ever since. It has been grown on the estate of 
Charles A. Dana at Dorosis, Long Island, for a dozen or 
more years without especial protection, and though not 
regarded a strong growing plant, its delicacy of habit is 



136 Ornamental Shrubs. 

esteemed one of its peculiar charms. Mr. E. S. Carman 
reports growing the plant from seed on his experimental 
grounds in New Jersey, and, having seen his original speci- 
men in blossom, says the flower-clusters resemble some- 
what those of the horse-chestnut, having " white petals 
marked with red at the base." As they appear in early 
spring they are certain to answer a good purpose in the 
garden, on the lawn, or wherever else planted. It ought 
to be a valuable acquisition for the more Southern States, 
and doubtless will be so regarded as soon as better known 
in that section. It may be depended upon, so far as 
weather conditions are concerned, in all proper situations 
south of Washington. 

ILEX— Holly. 



THE genus Ilex belongs to the order Ilicinecz, and 
includes numerous species and varieties. These 
are distributed throughout both hemispheres, and 
are especially abundant in South America and within the 
tropics. They are also found in Australia, Africa, Asia, 
and our own country. Of course, many of them are not 
suited to out-of-door cultivation within the temperate 
zones, and so need not here be even named or further re- 
ferred to. The family includes the holly, the prinos, and 
some other sorts popularly known under different names. 
Nearly all the hardy species are interesting plants, and 
some of them are counted amonof the most desirable of 
ornamental trees. 

/. aquifolmm is the well-known English holly, a native 
not only of Britain and other portions of Europe, but also 



Ilex — Holly. 137 

of western Asia. It grows in the form of a small tree, ten 
to twenty feet high, but sometimes reaches much larger 
proportions, and is famous for its small, round red berries 
and its glossy, prickly foliage. The leaves are oblong- 
ovate, deep green, wavy, sharply toothed, and very glossy. 
The flowers appear in June, and the fruit in late autumn, 
the berries continuing well into winter. Though perfectly 
hardy in most parts of England, it is not so in our North- 
ern States. Still, fine specimens are to be found in gar- 
dens as far north as the Middle States, and, under favor- 
ing conditions, in New England. The species has been 
prolific in varieties, many of which are more beautiful than 
the original, and are worthy of general introduction to 
such portions of America as are fitted to receive and care 
for them. None of them will withstand our extreme 
northern winters, though many may be grown under glass 
to advantage, and will repay such treatment. Nicholson, 
in his Dictionary of Gardening, gives a list of these varie- 
ties, some of the best of which are as follows : I. a. balearica 
is held to be one of the best of its class. It is pretty 
well known in certain sections of the United States, where 
it thrives, as having ovate and exceedingly shiny black, 
entire or spiny-toothed foliage. It is supposed to have 
originated in Minorca, and is often known as the Minorca 
holly. I. a. crassifolia has dull green, very thick leaves 
with recurved margins and prominent saw-like teeth and 
purple bark. It is a dwarf and a slow grower. /. a. 
doningtonensis has lanceolate leaves often turned to one 
side so as to become sickle-shaped. It has few or no 
spines, and is especially adapted to pyramidal rows. /. a. 



I3§ 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



hastata appears with leaves from three quarters to one half 
inch long, and about half an inch broad. The spines are 
very large, consisting usually of one or two pairs on each 
side of the base, but occasionally more. It is one of the 
most remarkable forms which the plant puts on. I. a. 

myrtifolia, has 
ovate- lanceolate 
leaves, broad 
and usually 
spiny at the mar- 
gins, but some- 
times quite 
entire; known 
also as angusti- 
folict. I. a.platy- 
phylla, as its 
name implies, 
has broadly- 
ovate leaves, 
having spines 
sometimes at 
their edges. It 
is a hardy evergreen from the Canary Islands, and grows 
in pyramidal form. I. a. whittingtonensis is pronounced an 
elegant and distinct form with lanceolate leaves two and 
a half inches long and one and a half wide, slightly re- 
curved, and with many stiff spines. 

There are also numerous varieties with gold- and silver- 
leaved foliage, that are still more showy. Among these 
is /. a. argentea marginata which has broadly-ovate leaves, 




ILEX AOUIFOLIUM AND OPACA. 



Ilex — Holly. 139 

dark green with the disk slightly mottled, and with an 
irregular, narrow, silvery margin. /. a. argentea ele- 
gantissima is much like it except that the central part of 
the leaf is dark green with gray blotches, and has a 
margin of creamy white. The foliage of /. a. argentea 
medio-picta is dark green at the edges with a large central 
blotch of creamy white. /. a. aurea latifolia is also a 
broad-leaved variety with well-developed spines, the disk 
marked with pale green, and having a narrow, irregular, 
golden edge. /. a. aurea maculata has golden-spotted 
foliage, and a leaf-blade with creamy-yellow centre sur- 
rounded with a creamy-white border. It is a very distinct 
variety and very showy. /. a. aurea picta latifolia, popu- 
larly known as the " golden milk-maid," has long leaves 
with spines variable in condition, and disk irregularly 
marked by a long yellow blotch, with irregular, narrow, 
glossy margin. This is one of the very best. /. a. aurea 
regina, known as the "golden queen," is a variety in 
which the leaves are usually much mottled with gray and 
green, with a broad, well-defined, continuous margin of 
deep yellow. This is a handsome form and claimed to be 
the finest of the golden-edged series. /. a. ferox ar- 
gejitea, known as the " silver-striped hedgehog " holly, 
has deep green leaves bristling with stiff spines towards 
the front and edges. The margins are creamy white. /. 
a. handsworthensis shows much longer leaves than most 
others, and they are bordered with very strong white 
spines. The disk is mottled with green, and there is a 
distinct margin of creamy white. I. a. wateriana has 
leaves oblong-ovate, and disk of dark green, mottled often 



140 Ornamental Shrubs. 

in sectional streaks with yellowish-green and grayish- 
green, with broad but irregular marginal bands of deep 
golden yellow, not continuous, being sometimes wholly 
golden and at others partly so. This is a dwarf shrub 
and very beautiful. There are many others almost or 
quite equally good, but this list will certainly answer all 
practical purposes. 

As already indicated, there are numerous species of the 
ilex which are natives of Japan, and known to be among 
the most interesting and beautiful members of the family. 
The best descriptions of these are furnished by Prof. 
Sargent, first published in Garden and Forest, and later 
incorporated in his book on the Flora of Japan. The 
descriptions of those which follow are largely compiled 
from that excellent treatise ; and I take this method of 
according the distinguished author due credit. 

I. latifolia is declared by Prof. Sargent to be the most 
beautiful of all the Japanese hollies, though there are a 
much greater number indigenous to that country than to 
any other, for while America has but four species Japan 
has no less than eleven. I. latifolia as known in this 
country is but a good-sized shrub, while in the land of its 
nativity it sometimes grows into a tree from fifty to sixty 
feet high. It may not have been long enough with us 
to become fully developed, but it is doubted if in this 
climate it will ever be seen in such proportions. The 
foliage is especially attractive, the leaves being about 
six inches long and three or four wide, very thick, dark 
green, and exceedingly lustrous. The fruit is described 
as brilliant scarlet and ripening in late autumn or early 



Ilex — Holly. 141 

winter. It is produced in axiliary clusters and continues 
on the branches until the following summer. Prof. Sar- 
gent concludes his description by saying: "Ilex latifolia 
is probably the handsomest broad-leaved evergreen that 
grows in the forests of Japan, not only on account of its 
brilliant fruit but also on account of the size and character 
of its foliage. It may be expected to prove hardy in 
Washington, and will certainly flourish in the southern 
Atlantic and Gulf States." 

I. integra is another beautiful and desirable plant, 
which has been introduced here where it is sometimes 
seen as a small tree, but oftener as a mere shrub. It is 
already recognized as one of the most desirable of the 
newer sorts now coming into use. It is said to be often 
planted in the temple gardens of Japan along with lati- 
folia, and highly appreciated wherever known. It is not 
quite as free a grower as the preceding, but is scarcely 
less desirable. The leaves are obovate, three or four 
inches long, narrow, with entire edges, and continuing 
durine the winter. The fruit is about half an inch in 
diameter, abundant, and holding until the next season, 
and at all times very showy. A variety, known as /. leno- 
clada, is a northern form, and proves to be a dwarf but 
two or three feet high. This is described as having 
narrower leaves, and smaller fruit, and will doubtless 
prove hardier than most of the other Japanese sorts in 
this country. It is practically unknown, as yet, in Ameri- 
can horticulture, but gives promise of becoming a desira- 
ble acquisition, especially for northern planting. 

/ crenata is better known to us than either latifolia 



142 Ornamental Shrubs. 

or integra, and can be readily procured from many of our 
best nurseries. It may not have become very widely dis- 
tributed, but it is a gem worthy of much more consider- 
ation than it has apparently yet received. It is a low, 
much-branched, and somewhat spreading shrub three to 
four feet high, but in cultivation it not infrequently rises 
to a height of twenty feet, and so assumes the habit of a 
tree not unlike the box in general appearance. The leaves 
are light green, scarcely more than an inch long, ovate 
with pointed apex and finely toothed. The fruit is black, 
and produced in great quantities, and contrasts well with 
the foliage. " This," says our authority, " is the most 
popular of all the hollies with the Japanese, and a plant 
cut into fantastic shape is found in nearly every garden. 
Varieties with variegated leaves are common and much 
esteemed. Ilex crenata and several of its varieties with 
variegated foliage were introduced into western gardens 
many years ago, and are occasionally cultivated, although 
the value of this plant as an under-shrub appears to be 
hardly known or appreciated outside of Japan. Of the 
broad-leaved Japan evergreens, I have the most hope of 
success with Ilex crenata in this climate ; and if it proves 
really hardy it will be a most useful addition to our shrub- 
beries." This estimate was made several years ago, and 
the trials since indicate that it is as great an acquisition 
as was at that time anticipated. 

/. opaca, American holly, is a species, though not so 
beautiful as the English, that is much to be preferred for 
planting throughout the North. It grows to about the 
same dimensions as crenata, has oval, flat, deep-green 



Ilex — Holly. 143 

leaves, the wavy margins being armed with strong, sharp 
spines. It, too, is an evergreen, and attractive all the 
year. The small white flowers appear in loose clusters 
along the base of the young branches in May and June, 
though they are never very conspicuous. The fruit is a 
small, bright red berry continuing on the branches until 
almost spring. The species is widely distributed along 
the seacoast from New England southward, but not very 
plentifully except in a few locations, and then it grows in 
swamps where it is partially protected from the hot sum- 
mer's sun and the sharp winds of winter. It is more plen- 
tiful southward, extending even to Florida, and again 
through the barren sections of the lower Mississippi val- 
ley. It is accounted difficult of removal for transplanting, 
and so it is after having acquired age and considerable 
proportions. But grown in the nursery and frequently 
transplanted, it may be as safely transferred from one lo- 
cation to another as are most other trees. While it can 
be made to thrive in almost any good garden soil, it will 
do better in moist locations and where protected by build- 
ings or trees from piercing winds. 

/. verticilata or prinos is a native of this country, a 
deciduous shrub, growing about six feet, whose merits are 
by no means appreciated. It is sometimes known as the 
black alder, and in some sections as the winterberry. It 
has ovate, wedge-shaped, pointed leaves, somewhat ser- 
ater, and downy on the veins beneath, but its chief excel- 
lence consists in the fact that in autumn it is covered with 
a multitude of crimson-scarlet berries, which hold their 
places long after the foliage is gone. It is easily one of 



H4 Ornamental Shrubs. 

the most valuable shrubs that we have for early winter ef- 
fects, though not especially attractive in summer. 

SYMPLOCOS. 

THE symplocos group constitutes a large genus of 
the order Styracacece, numbering nearly, or quite, 
one hundred and fifty species. They are mostly 
natives of warm climates, and in the temperate zones are 
better adapted to the conservatory or greenhouse than to 
out-of-door cultivation. None of them is sufficiently hardy 
to endure the cold of New England or the Northwest, but 
several evidently have a horticultural mission in our south- 
ern latitudes, where they are already more or less planted, 
and with excellent results. It is now believed that they 
have also a more extended climatic range northward than 
has been heretofore supposed, and Mr. Joseph Meehan 
certifies to the fact that they are growing in the vicinity 
of Philadelphia, and, under favorable conditions, proving 
very satisfactory. Specimens are also to be found in 
southern New England and in New York, which have 
withstood several winters with but slight extra care or 
protection. 

S. cratczoides, so far as tested, appears to be the most 
hardy member of the genus, and it is this species that on 
trial has afforded the satisfactory results referred to. 
This symplocos is a small tree or shrub five to eight feet 
tall, and in its general outline somewhat resembles the 
hawthorn, though differing materially from it in both 
blossom and fruit. Its leaves are opposite, two and one 
half inches long, rough and thick. The blossoms are 



Symplocos. 145 

small, white, and borne in panicles about five inches in 
length. They are followed by an abundance of bright 
ultramarine-blue fruit which ripens in September and con- 
stitutes one of the chief attractions. The plant is certain 
to become a favorite wherever it can be grown, and 
deservedly so. It is a native of Japan, and is also found 
growing freely among the Himalayas. 

6". tinctoria is a native of the southern United States, 
where it is popularly called sweet-leaf, because of the 
fragrance of its foliage ; and for the same reason it is 
sometimes known as horse-sugar. In its favorite haunts 
it is to be classed as an evergreen, but it may not be 
found such when carried to the extreme limit of its north- 
ern endurance. The flowers are yellow, borne in clusters 
of from six to fourteen, and exhale an agreeable odor. 
The leaves are long and narrow, from three to five inches, 
somewhat coriaceous and sharply toothed. The symplo- 
cos grows from three to five feet in height, and is one of 
our prettiest American shrubs. It can scarcely be planted 
successfully in the North, but has a field of its own in 
the lower tiers of States. Treated as is the hydrangea 
hortensis and cared for in winter, it may be grown in 
the same latitudes. 

S. decora is peculiarly adapted to southern cultivation. 
It comes from China, and is a small camellia-like tree with 
thick, leathery foliage of considerable beauty. Its flowers 
are small but abundant, produced in axillary clusters along 
the young branches. Mr. A. B. Westland says in Garden 
and Forest, in calling attention to this plant : " The petals 
are white and sometimes tinged with a delicate shade of 



146 Ornamental Shrubs. 

azure-blue ; the cup of the flower is filled with a free 
cluster of slender stamens each crowned with a pale yellow 
anther. The size of the flower varies from one half to 
three quarters of an inch in diameter, and the slightest 
globular clusters are from three to four inches across. In 
early spring it bursts into a profusion of delicate blossoms 
that are gracefully blended with the glossy, green leaves. 
Its indescribable lightness and grace, combined with its 
delicious fragrance, make it especially charming." 

STYRAX. 

THIS genus of the natural order Styracacece, contains 
a large number of species widely distributed, a few 
only of which are sufficiently hardy for out-of-door 
cultivation, except in tropical or semitropical climates. 
It is said that the Greek name, by which it is still known, 
was given to it by Theophrastus, and that in those early 
days it was even more highly esteemed than now. It was 
then, and still is, regarded as valuable in medicine, as it 
produces a balsam, known as storax, highly prized, and 
yet in use. One of the varieties furnishes what is known 
as benzoin, but this is not adapted to garden cultivation in 
this climate. Three species only are natives of North 
America, and these are found to be somewhat closely re- 
lated to the halesias, which have been already described. 
Of these but one is probably worthy of cultivation as or- 
namental, and even this is surpassed in interest by the 
introductions from abroad. 

.SI grandiflora is a small bush growing to a height of 
from five to seven feet. Its foliage is long and pointed, 




STYRAX OBASSIA. 



148 Ornamental Shrubs. 

and larger than in most of the other sorts. The flowers 
are pure white and quite numerous, appearing in early 
summer, and making it a handsome bush almost certain to 
attract attention either singly or in the border. It may 
not be perfectly hardy in the Northern States, but over a 
large section of the country it can be planted with good 
results. .S*. obassia is also a shrub of dwarfish habit, with 
leaves somewhat like those of the catalpa, and racemes of 
white flowers six inches in length and much resembling 
those of the well-known mock-orange. 

.S. japonica, or perhaps more correctly, .S*. serrulata, is 
held to be superior to the American species above de- 
scribed. Though known here for some years, it has not 
been grown freely in the nurseries, and so has not been 
widely distributed. But it is, in fact, a very choice shrub 
or tree, for it may be grown as either, and, whether one 
or the other, is symmetrical in shape. If left to take its 
own course, it usually grows with a single, straight stem, 
branching low and quite freely. The main branches stand 
out almost horizontally from the stem, while the branch- 
lets are small, twiggy, and quite numerous. By proper 
training and cutting out, the tree may be made to take on 
much the form of a linden or maple, and rise to a height 
of twenty or thirty feet. But for best floral effects the 
small twigs should be preserved, as the flowers break out 
on the whole length of these, and thus almost completely 
cover the entire framework. They are pure white, about 
one inch in diameter, and set off by rich yellow stamens. 
The leaves are small, serrate, sharp-pointed, and rather 
light green. The plant blooms in early summer, the fruit 



Symplocos. 



149 



following in autumn and hanging in round balls, the seeds 
in which somewhat resemble kernels of coffee. The plant 
blossoms and bears fruit when quite young, and is at- 



**£^&j 



fesjS 



< 



4 








m 5v 




STYRAX JAPONICA. 



tractive at all seasons of the year. It has proved hardy 
both North and South, and thrives in any good garden soil. 
Mr. Falconer in his notes says that " when in full bloom it 
is the loveliest plant in our collection, but, alas ! it lasts 
only a few days in flower." 



150 Ornamental Shrubs. 

DI ERVILLA— Weigela. 

ALTHOUGH this group is classified by the bota- 
nists as Diervilla, the plants are so much better 
known as weigelas that the continued use of the 
name under which they were introduced to English horti- 
culturists is still maintained in most of the catalogues, and 
is perhaps still to be preferred for common use. That 
name was given by Thunberg in honor of Weigel, a Ger- 
man scientist enjoying at the time considerable distinction 
as a botanist. But as a French surgeon, Dr. Dierville, 
had previously reported the discovery of an American 
member of the family, which, by the by, proves to be the 
only one indigenous to this country, the genus had been 
named in honor of this discoverer before the introduction 
of the Asiatic species to European gardens, and under the 
well-known law of priority, the name still adheres. The 
Chinese plant was discovered by Robert Fortune in 1844, 
and was esteemed by him one of the most beautiful of all 
the plants which he had been able to gather and send 
to European gardens from that floriferous country. The 
first specimen which he saw is described as growing in a 
Mandarin's garden on the island of Chusan, and character- 
ized as a bush covered with rose-colored flowers, which 
hung in graceful bunches from the axils of the leaves and 
the ends of the branches. " Everyone saw and admired 
the beautiful weigela. I immediately marked it as one 
of the finest plants in northern China and determined to 
send plants of it home in every ship until I should hear of 
its safe arrival. It forms a neat bush, not unlike a syringa 
in habit, deciduous in winter and flowering in the months 



Diervilla — Weigela. 



151 



of April and May. One great recommendation to it, is that 
it is a plant of the easiest cultivation. Cuttings readily 
strike any time during the winter and spring months, with 
ordinary attention, and the plant itself grows well in any 
good soil. It should be grown as it is in 
China, not tied up in that formal, unnatural 
way in which we see plants brought to 
our exhibitions, but a main stem or two 
chosen for leaders, and then when the 
plant comes into bloom, the branches are 
loaded with beautiful flowers which hang 
down in graceful and natural festoons." 

D. rosea is the plant which thus attract- 
ed Mr. Fortune's attention, and is still the 
best known of the several species. His 
account, as given above, is sufficiently full 
and accurate to represent it as it appears 
in this country, where it has made itself 
entirely at home. The shrub possesses a 
tendency to a somewhat straggling growth 
not altogether objectionable, though it 
must be cut back severely and at the 
proper time, if a more regular and com- 
pact head is desired. It grows to a height of six to eight 
feet, with numerous slender stems and branches. The 
leaves are ovate-lanceolate with finely toothed edges, and 
are of good color throughout the summer. The flowers 
put forth in early spring in great profusion, and are deep 
rose, sometimes freely marked with white. There are 
several varieties, one, D. r. nana, a veritable dwarf with a 




WEIQELA ROSEA. 



152 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



well-formed, compact head, and a free bloomer. Another, 
D. r. nana aurea, has foliage of a rich golden color, 
especially in spring during the freshness of the leaves. A 
third, D. r. stelzueri, is distinguished by its multitude of 
flowers of a reddish-purple tinge. Each of these dwarf 
forms, of two to three feet, is well suited to crowded situ- 
ations where there is no room for the larger kinds. 

D. Candida differs from the preceding chiefly in having 
creamy-white flowers which do not appear until the first of 
June. The plant is of a more upright growth and with 
less disposition to spread by either its roots or branches, 
and can be used to advantage as affording agreeable 
contrasts with the darker shades or when planted by itself 
wherever a shrub with beautiful white flowers at that sea- 
son is desired. It is greatly to 
be preferred to the D. horten- 
sis nivea, also producing white 
flowers, thousfh the latter has 
been much praised. 

D. amabilis, lovely weigela, 
differs from the rosea in being 
of more robust habit and in 
growing to a larger size. Its 
jj§( blossoms appear later, and at a 
time when few shrubs in blos- 

WE.GELA VARIEQATA. ^ % ^^ ^ landscape> The 

foliage is somewhat coarse and the flowers very conspicu- 
ous. Many consider it the best of all the family, but it is 
scarcely entitled to that pre-eminence. Its varieties worthy 
of mention are the isolince, having flowers white with yellow 




Diervilla — Weigela. 153 

at the base ; the van houttei, red and white, and the 
striata, red and white in bands. What is known as the va- 
riegated weigela, D. variegata, is a variety, some say, of 
the rosea, and others of the amabilis. It is of smaller size 
than either, and grows more compactly. The flowers are 
bright pink and rose, appearing in May or early June. 
The leaves are beautifully variegated, the margins being 
creamy-white, and, when well grown, sure to attract atten- 
tion. As single well-rounded specimens on the lawn, few 
plants are more attractive than this, and it is equally fitted 
for massing or ornamental hedging. Though thought to 
be not quite so hardy as some, it is sufficiently so for all 
practical purposes, except in the most exposed situations. 
The white-flowered weigela, hortensis nivea, has large, 
pure-white blossoms which remain long on the branches. 
The ovate leaves are also larger than most others. It 
is not entirely hardy in exposed situations. There is a 
variety whose flowers are deep red when partially ex- 
panded, but afterward fade into white. 

D. floribunda has blossoms of rich, dark crimson, and 
somewhat in the form of fuchsias. It comes to us 
from Japan, and proves perfectly hardy. It blooms 
abundantly in spring, and, if closely cut back, makes a 
vigorous growth and puts forth a second harvest of flowers 
in autumn. Its foliage is dark colored, and contrasts 
finely with other sorts. It is known also as the 
D. multiflora. 

D. arborea is larger than any of the preceding, and 
easier grown into tree form. Its leaves are large, flowers 
tube-shaped, much like some of the honeysuckles, mostly 



154 Ornamental Shrubs. 

pale yellow or rose, and appear after those of most of the 
other species and varieties have passed by. It is a valu- 
able member of the family, and fills an important place in 
cultivation. Another good plant is D. lemoinei, which pro- 
duces changeable flowers as to color, pale red turning to 
deep rose, and again to a rich wine-color. It is esteemed 
a choice plant, but is not largely cultivated. 

Professor Sargent, who during one of his visits to Japan 
made a study of the wild types, says that in the central 
and northern sections diervilla, weigela, is a common 
shrub on the borders of mountain woods and by the banks 
of mountain streams, and he became of the opinion that 
what had been referred to by other botanists as several 
distinct species, are in reality one and the same with varia- 
tions such as might be expected from differences in soils 
and exposures. From seeds which he gathered, speci- 
mens have been grown in the Arnold Arboretum, and 
these are known as Diervilla japonica. He illustrated 
them in Garden and Forest with the following accom- 
panying description : " It has ovate, acute, or acuminate 
leaves which are nearly glabrous with the exception of a 
few hairs on the lower surface of the midribs and veins, or 
on some individuals these are clothed more or less thickly 
with soft pubescence. The flowers are borne in few or 
many-flowered clusters which are long-stalked or nearly 
sessile, the two forms appearing on the same plant ; and 
they are rose-colored, pale yellow, pale red, or nearly 
white on the same branch or on different branches of the 
same plant, and flowers which are pale when they open 
often become rose-color in fading." When this descrip- 



Ribes — Flowering Currant 155 

tion was written, the hardiness of the species for this lati- 
tude had not been determined, nor is it yet thought the 
indications are favorable for its future usefulness. 

RIBES — Flowering Currant. 

THE currants should not be overlooked among the 
ornamental shrubs, as some of them prove of 
special value in garden planting. They belong to 
the order Saxifragacece, and are included in the genus rzbes, 
numbering between fifty and sixty species. The origin of 
the name is said to be Arabic, and specimens are found 
indigenous to Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South 
America, growing most freely in mountainous regions, 
and often at considerable elevations. All are of easy cul- 
tivation, and many of them are prized for their fruit as 
well as their flowers. The foliage of some of the spe- 
cies is liable to mildew, and all are a prey to certain 
insect pests. These are, however, under modern appli- 
ances, so far subject to the control of the gardener as to 
prove but slight obstacles to success. 

R. alpinum is of dwarfish habit, seldom rising above 
two or three feet, and, as its name indicates, has its home 
in the mountains. It produces its pale yellow or nearly 
white blossoms in May. They are in erect racemes, and 
followed by deep scarlet and very showy fruit. R. aureum 
is the well-known Missouri or Buffalo currant, and is prob- 
ably more planted than any other. As it was found grow- 
ing freely on the western prairies and among the foothills 
of the Rocky Mountains, it took the local names by 
which it is still popularly known. The bush is larger than 



156 Ornamental Shrubs. 

the alpinttm, attaining a height of four to eight feet under 
favorable conditions, and a breadth of from three to six. Its 
leaves are three-lobed, toothed, ciliated at the base, and of 
good color. The blossoms appear in May, and are bright 
yellow with pink stamens, the petals being considerably 
shorter than the calyx segments. The fruit ripens late in 
midsummer, and is also yellow, though occasionally tinted 
with purple or black. As it is edible, it serves the double 
purpose of being both useful and ornamental. R.fragrans 
is a variety with larger and more fragrant flowers. 

R. floridum is our common black currant, and by 
some is supposed to be a variety of the aureum. It is a 
native of New England, and grows freely along the Alle- 
ghany ranges and throughout the far West. Its foliage is 
often sprinkled with white resinous dots, and in autumn 
assumes a tint of bronze which adds to its attractions. 
The tubular, bell-shaped flowers show themselves in June, 
and are produced in quite large racemes somewhat downy 
and of a greenish-white color. The fruit is nearly 
round, dark-colored, and by many esteemed for culinary 
purposes. 

R. sanguineum grows from three to four feet, and, un- 
like most of the others, blossoms in midsummer. The 
flowers are carmine and yellow, and in rich clusters hang- 
ing among the leaves and branches, producing a fine effect. 
There is a double-flowering variety still more attractive, 
but, unfortunately, neither of these is entirely hardy in the 
Northern States, and if planted there must be given 
favored location, or receive especial protection in winter. 
Farther south it is hardy. R. gordonianum is supposed to 



Stuartia. 157 

be a hybrid between the aureum and the sanguinettm, and 
partakes of the good qualities of both. It is the most pro- 
fuse bloomer in the list, the flowers appearing in hanging 
racemes of crimson and yellow early in June. 

STUARTIA. 

THIS is a genus of beautiful shrubs or small trees, 
containing but a few species, of which two are 
natives of the United States, and perhaps two or 
three of Japan and China. It was named in honor of 
Lord Bute — John Stuart — who gave considerable attention 
to shrubs and trees, and who is described by a writer in the 
time of Linnaeus as "a most knowing botanist." None of 
the species are entirely hardy in northern latitudes, but it is 
proved by more recent trials that they thrive in southern 
New England, and are as well suited to that fickle climate 
as are many of our most common shrubs. Of their desir- 
ability in garden cultivation there can be no dispute, and 
Nicholson in his dictionary says they merit a place in 
every collection of ornamental shrubs. They belong to 
the order Ternstromiacece, and produce large camellia- 
like flowers of six sepals and five petals, with a multitude 
of stamens. All the species should be planted in shel- 
tered positions, as they are unfavorably affected by high 
winds though seldom suffering from severe cold. 

S. pentagyna. — This is a native of the Alleghany 
Mountain region, extending from northern Virginia south- 
ward, and it is also found on the foothills of the Big 
Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. It is a shrub grow- 
ing eight to twelve feet, has oval, sharply pointed foli- 



i58 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



age, and creamy-white flowers in July and August. These 
are both interesting and beautiful. " The buds are round 
like those of a peony, swelling to an inch in diameter 
before the leaves unfold. The petals are one and one- 
half inches broad in the middle, and two inches long — the 
flower, borne on a short, strong peduncle, being fully four 

inches in diam- 
eter. About 
the edges the 
petals are 
crimped, re- 
minding one of 
a fluted shell 
like that of 
the scallop, 
and suggesting 
shell flower as 
an appropriate 
familiar name. 
In the centre 
of the flower is 
a cluster of a 
hundred stamens or more, with prominent, orange-col- 
ored anthers. The petals are nominally five, but often 
we find two or three more, the stamens having changed to 
petals." When in full blossom the plant is one of surpris- 
ing beauty, and can never fail to command admiration. 

S. virginica is also a native of the State whose name 
it bears, though it may have grown farther north also, as 
one of the names by which it was introduced to the public 




sjophtous^p ki?T5x k.bvB8^.~ 



STUARTIA PENTAQYNA. 




STUARTIA V1RGINICA. 



159 



160 Ornamental Shrubs. 

was 6 1 . marylandica, indicating Maryland as its habitat. 
The plant is somewhat smaller than the preceding, and 
blossoms a month or more earlier. The flowers are white, 
with purple filaments in striking contrast with their sur- 
roundings. There is usually but one style, whereas in the 
other there are five. The foliage differs in that the leaves 
are more oblong, serrulate, and downy on the under side. 
Both have been introduced to European gardens, and re- 
ceived with favor by all who have become acquainted with 
their characteristics. They do best in a peaty or sandy 
soil. 

.S. pseudo-camellia is so named from the fact that its 
flowers very much resemble those of the camellia. Pro- 
fessor Sargent, in his notes on the forest flora of Japan, 
says that Stuartia pseudo-camellia is common in the 
Hakone and Nikko Mountains between 2000 and 3000 
feet above the sea, where it is a most striking object, from 
the peculiar appearance of the bark ; this is light red, very 
smooth, and peels off in small flakes like that of the crape 
myrtle. It becomes there a tree of considerable size ; and 
on the shores of Lake Chuzenji he measured a specimen 
whose trunk at three feet from the ground girted six feet, 
and which was upward of fifty feet high. The flowers re- 
semble a single white camellia, are smaller and less beau- 
tiful than the flowers of our coast species, S. virginica, but 
are larger than those of pentagyna. Specimens were sent 
to America nearly thirty years ago by Mr. Thomas Hogg, 
and the tree appears to have flowered in the neighborhood 
of New York several years before it was known in Europe, 
where of late it has attracted considerable attention. As 



Rhododendron. 161 

known in England and America this plant grows from ten 
to twelve feet high, with fine foliage, oval, dentate, sharp- 
pointed at the apex, and narrowed at the base and tinged 
with red, as are also the sepals of the creamy flowers. 
When in full flower the entire shrub is often covered 
with these large, showy blossoms, but it is not certain 
that even at its best it is superior to the American sorts. 

RHODODENDRON. 

THE rhododendrons are among the very best of the 
broad-leaved evergreens, and are everywhere much 
admired. A large group of these plants when in 
full bloom is a sight seldom to be forgotten. And 
in winter they are equally prominent because of their fine 
foliage. More than almost any other species they are 
attractive at all seasons of the year, though they cannot 
always be seen at their best during the colder months be- 
cause of the partial protection afforded them, and supposed 
to be necessary, against the extremes of heat and cold. 

But, though every one admires the rhododendrons, 
very few, comparatively, proceed to grow them. The 
prevailing opinion is that these shrubs are not suited 
to ordinary cultivation, except within very narrow terri- 
torial limits. The failures have been so many and so 
disastrous that it is thought to be scarcely worth while to 
continue the experiments, unless it be by experts and 
under the most favoring conditions. And so, many of the 
common people pass them by under the impression that 
though pre-eminently good plants, they are not for them 
to enjoy in their own gardens and at their own homes. 



162 Ornamental Shrubs. 

Still, as a matter of fact, the rhododendrons may be 
successfully and easily grown over a large section of the 
country. It is true they may require somewhat especial 
conditions and intelligent consideration, but even with 
that they are worth all they cost. To begin with, care 
must be taken in the selection of species and varieties. 
This is a clear case where the right plant must be in 
the right place. The pedigree of each specimen must 
be thoroughly studied and understood before it can be 
determined whether it is likely to possess the constitu- 
tional qualities required for the purposes to which it is to 
be put. It may not be necessary for each planter to ex- 
tend his personal investigations so as to cover all the 
details in this direction, but the least he can do is to make 
sure that the nurseryman of whom he makes his purchase 
is sufficiently intelligent and sufficiently honest to be able 
to present a clean bill of health at every point and ex- 
tending to every particular. 

Very few of the rhododendrons in ordinary cultivation 
in this country are to be found growing wild in any part of 
the world. They are crosses, hybrids, or varieties largely 
fashioned by the hand of man, and the experts who have 
toiled long and with intelligent purpose have brought out 
a race of these beautiful plants such as the world knew 
little or nothing of before. A brief account of how this 
has been done may not only be of interest to the general 
reader, but prove also of practical value to such as wish to 
grow them on their lawns or in their gardens. Let us, 
then, first look to the sources from which our common 
sorts have mostly sprung, and take a glimpse of the proc- 



Rhododendron. 163 

esses of development from the native forms to those 
which we now so highly prize. Among the original 
species which have been brought into reputation, but three 
of the most prominent need be named. 

R. arboreum is the largest known species, and is some- 
times called the tree rhododendron in allusion to its size 
and form. It is a native of the Himalayan Mountains, 
where it reaches the height of from twenty-five to thirty- 
five feet, and sometimes, according to Nicholson, acquires 
a circumference of 150 feet. The flowers are described as 
white, rose, and blood color, disposed in dense heads and 
very beautiful. The foliage is equally bold and showy, 
"the leaves being large, coriaceous, lanceolate, acute, cor- 
date at base, or attenuated into a thick petiole, of a beau- 
tiful green above, below impressed with netted veins, 
glabrous, silvery, or ferruginous-pubescent." Attention is 
called to this species though it is known to be too tender 
for out-of-door planting in this climate, except perhaps, in 
our Southern States, and even then it is not recommended 
for ordinary cultivation. 

Another of the foreign species is R. ponticum, which 
also proves one of the most desirable members of the 
family, and which, though hardier than the arboreum, is yet 
too tender for our use. It is a smaller plant, growing 
six to ten feet, with good foliage and exquisitely beautiful 
flowers. This is a native of Asia Minor, and while hardy 
throughout most of continental Europe, it proves a prac- 
tical failure in American cultivation, at least as far north 
as New York. Though doing fairly well in England, the 
extremes of heat and cold, and more especially of drought 



164 Ornamental Shrubs. 

and moisture, forbid its introduction, together with most 
of its varieties, for our ordinary garden use. Just here 
comes in one of the secrets of the failure of rhododendron 
planting in America, so far as it is a failure among the 
common people. To make sure of the splendid colors of 
the two species, nearly all the experiments in hybridizing 
and crossing have been with these comparatively tender 
plants for the foundation. As the ponticum proves hardy 
on the continent, it was very natural that the nurserymen 
of France, Belgium, and Holland, the great feeders of the 
civilized world in the line of nursery stock, should cling to 
the notion that, being found hardy at home, it must be 
strong and vigorous enough for other countries lying 
within the same range of latitude and supposedly subject 
to similar climatic conditions. And so they have continued 
sending us their wares, and too many of our nurserymen 
have continued the purchase and distribution of the French 
and Dutch plants, budded on ponticum roots, by the hun- 
dred thousand a year. It is not too much to say that no 
rhododendrons on such roots should be accepted as 
thoroughly reliable in our northern American climate. 
They may appear to be all right for a few years, starting 
out well, but with rare exceptions they are certain to fail 
of the highest perfection unless especially protected and 
pampered. The rhododendron is naturally a long-lived 
plant, specimens having been found in its native habitat 
more than a hundred and fifty years old, and still vigorous. 
R. catawbiense is an American species, and grows freely 
on many of our hillsides and mountains without the slight- 
est protection or care from the hand of man. It is far 



Rhododendron. 



165 



from being one of the best and most showy species, but is 
known to be entirely hardy and especially adapted to our 
soil and climate. It has, therefore, an important mission to 
perform in becoming the foundation of the many new crea- 
tions which to us constitute the glory of the rhododendron 
family, and as such should carry the numerous varieties 
and hybrids, which, en- 
riched by the blood of 
the arboreum and poli- 
tician, constitute the 
rich fields from which 
our selections are to 
be made. In England 
the best growers use 
only the catawbiense 
for budding or grafting 
stocks for the Ameri- 
can market, and their 
plants on catawbiense 
roots are confessedly the best of all the importations that 
come to us. There is no good reason why we should not 
grow for ourselves all the rhododendrons we need, but 
thus far the home production is exceedingly limited. R. 
maximum is another hardy sort, thriving as far north as 
New England, which can also be used as stocks with equal 
safety, and there are perhaps still others. 

The rhododendron should not only be well fortified in 
its essential qualities, so far as the constitution of the plant 
itself is concerned, but its demands must be recognized 
for peculiar situations and to some extent especial care. 




HYBRID RHODODENDRON. 



1 66 Ornamental Shrubs. 

There are some soils in which it positively refuses to 
grow. It has no affinity for chalk and lime, at least none 
sufficient to reconcile it to friendly relations. Neither is 
clay found to be favorite feeding ground, though, unlike 
the chalk and lime soils, the difficulty may be overcome, 
by digging wide and deep, and thus creating practically 
new conditions by rilling in with suitable plant food. A 
rhododendron bed may be thus successfully maintained in 
the clay soils, while it cannot be done in situations saturated 
with lime water, as in the course of time the offensive 
matter will percolate the new soil as thoroughly as it does 
the old ; and then, however hopefully begun, all prosperity 
is at an end. It may be put down as an established fact 
that there are some localities where this charming plant 
cannot be successfully employed in garden or landscape 
work, though the nurserymen often say there is not. But 
in most fairly good soils it is as easy to make the rhodo- 
dendron grow as it is other choice shrubs which are 
planted in profusion and almost everywhere found to 
thrive. 

Starting out with vigorous stock, the rhododendrons, to 
prosper, must be well planted, especially if the best results 
are desired. They are not so particular, however, as many 
suppose, for they will sometimes become vigorous and 
showy shrubs and even small trees, though treated with 
entire neglect and left to themselves amongf the grasses 
and weeds. But to make sure of success it is well to give 
the best care and make the best provision for them that 
is possible, as in the case of all other choice species. 
Any good garden soil, with the exception already indicated, 



Rhododendron. 167 

will answer the purpose. The rhododendron makes a 
multitude of fine, almost hairy, roots, such as do not 
rapidly penetrate far into the ground, and so the soil 
should be lighta nd somewhat porous, and in preparing 
for planting there should be an excavation two and a half 
or three feet deep, at least, and as many broad, for each 
plant. This should be filled with chopped turf or rich 
compost, and, if the soil is especially hard or heavy, a 
mixture of peat and sand. The best plants I ever saw 
were put into the ground in this way, with nothing else 
than common garden and turf substances. Something 
depends on the situation chosen as well as on the method 
of the planting. The rhododendron is, in a measure, a 
shade-loving plant, and this fact should be recognized 
when fixing upon the location, whether for a group or 
a single specimen. Sunshine in the morning and at even- 
ing, and perhaps with rays darting through the tree-tops, 
at midday, constitutes an ideal situation. So far as prac- 
ticable, protection from the prevailing winds, either by 
buildings or neighboring trees, should be afforded, and 
with these simple counsels any one can plant and easily 
maintain a bed of rhododendrons. Once established, the 
really hardy varieties need little or no protection from 
cold, even where the thermometer occasionally registers 
several degrees below zero. They may be partially cov- 
ered with branches of evergreens in winter, but the ad- 
vantage of this is in prevention of sun-scald more than for 
protection from frost or snow. Far more rhododendrons 
are killed by too much sunshine than too much cold, though 
by the ordinary grower this fact is scarcely ever appre- 



1 68 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



ciated. They are all moisture-loving plants and often 
suffer in seasons of drought, and, though not always show- 
ing it at the time, become so weakened that they cannot 
endure their winter hardships. In such cases the real 
difficulty is not even suspected by most growers. In dry 
seasons, or in long absence of rain, water should be 
applied freely and copiously. 

R. maximum, known also as the great laurel, is a 
valuable plant for ordinary cultivation. It is indigenous 
as far north as Connecticut and Rhode Island, and often 




RHODODENDRON MAXIMUM. 



grows to a height of twenty or more feet. It is a profuse 
bloomer, and has the advantage of putting forth its flowers 
in July after the blooming season of this class of plants is 



Rhododendron. 169 

otherwise over. The flowers are pale rose or pink varying 
to white with many inter-mixtures of shades, but always 
attractive. As a single specimen and in tree form, few 
shrubs surpass it in interest, and it is worthy of much 
more general cultivation. R. punctatum rises but five or 
six feet, has its blossoms in dense corymbs, rose-colored, 
somewhat funnel-shaped, and spotted within. These ap- 
pear in May or June. Like the leaves of the plant itself, 
they are borne on pedicils covered with viscid globules 
which are unpleasant to the touch. The shrub affects 
lofty altitudes, and it is seldom found except among and 
high up on the mountains. 

As there are more than a hundred species and innu- 
merable hybrids and varieties of rhododendrons known in 
horticulture, it is impracticable to attempt an enumeration 
of their names, much less of their varying qualities. They 
can only be discussed on general principles and in groups 
and classes, leaving details to the judgment and taste of 
those especially interested. There are but three American 
species which may be considered of value in this con- 
nection, — the catawbiense, the maximum, and the punc- 
tatum, to each of which reference has been made. The 
first -named is found growing freely on the Carolina 
mountains and contiguous localities. It is usually from 
three to six feet high with an irregular, spreading head, 
and oval or oblong leaves rounded at both ends. The 
flowers are lilac-purple, appearing in July, and not es- 
pecially beautiful. The hardiness and adaptability to 
adverse situations is seen in the fact that the plant is 
sometimes found in moist woods and leaf-mould, and some- 



170 Ornamental Shrubs. 

times springing from the seams of rocky ledges fully ex- 
posed to the scorching rays of the southern sun, and in 
neither case suffering harm. As already indicated it is 
this quality of endurance that gives the plant its chief 
value as affording a substantial basis for the more tender 
and more showy sorts. 

The following named sorts are reported reliably hardy 
in New England when grown on catawbiense roots, and 
may be planted with full assurance of success : Album 
grandiflorum, which has been longer known than almost 
any other sort as competent to withstand our severest 
winters without protection, is still one of the very best, 
producing large trusses of pink flowers, later on changing 
to white ; Charles Bagley, flowers, cherry-red ; Lady Grey 
Egerton, silvery-blush with grayish-brown spots ; Lady 
Crosley, pink-salmon ; Charles Dickens, red, and one of 
the best of that color ; Lady Armstrong, noted for its 
foliage as well as blossoms ; Kettledrum, rose-colored ; 
Sefton, deep maroon ; Alexander Dancer, beautiful red ; 
Old Port, plum-color; John Waterer, dark crimson ; deli- 
catessimum, blush changing to white, one of the very best, 
being a late bloomer ; Mrs. Miller, rich crimson ; everes- 
tianum, rosy-lilac, and reliable everywhere ; Abraham 
Lincoln, fine rosy-crimson ; General Grant, rosy-scarlet ; 
roseum elegans, fine rose ; giganteum, crimson-rose, very 
large ; Minnie, white with saffron or yellow centre ; piir- 
pureum, in several varieties, all purple. 

To the above, Mr. H. H. Hunnewell, whose gardens 
at Wellesley, Mass., are famous for their rhododendrons, 
and who has experimented on a large scale, writes to me 



Corylus — Hazelnut Tree. 171 

that he has found the additional newer varieties entirely 
hardy in that locality : C. S. Sargent, F. L. Olmstead, F. 
L. Ames, Mrs. C. S. Sargent, Mrs. R. G. Shaw, Mrs. 
N. S. Hunnewell, Mrs. Arthur Hunnewell, Mrs. Charles 
Thorald, Mrs. J. P. Lade, Mrs. Simpson, Lady Grey 
Egerton, Countess Normantown, Princess Mary of Cam- 
bridge, maximum wellesianum ; and that several others 
give promise of becoming valuable acquisitions, but need 
further testing. For the practical grower these are not 
named as superior to many other sorts, but as merely in- 
dicating the wide range from which selections may be 

made. 

■ 

CORYLUS— Hazelnut Tree. 

IN the public mind both the corylus and the hamamelis, 
in their several species and varieties, are classed as 
witch-hazels, and spoken of accordingly. But, 
though having some things in common, botanically con- 
sidered they are wide apart, and should not bear the same 
name. Like Hamamelis virginica, the American hazel- 
nut, Corylus americana, is a native of the western conti- 
nent, and a shrub of value for planting in masses for 
screens alonof water-courses or in other moist localities. 
The common species constitutes a familiar object through- 
out a large portion of the country, especially in the North- 
ern States. It is sometimes planted for its fruit, but not 
often, though it might possibly serve a good purpose in 
that line. The European hazelnut is scarcely an improve- 
ment on the native plant, except that it it has given us two 
varieties, each of which has a distinct value. One of these 



172 Ornamental Shrubs. 

has cut-leaved foliage of a somewhat peculiar character, 
and can be used to advantage in the shrubbery or border. 
The other, C. purpurea, or purple-leaved hazel, is very 
ornamental, and worthy of a place in almost any collection. 
Early in the spring the opening buds expand into large, 
finely formed leaves that are almost black — nearly if not 
quite the darkest shade known in vegetation. The effect 
is then exceedingly striking, as the contrast with surround- 
ing objects is very marked. A little later on the color 
changes to a lighter hue, becoming a dull purple, and thus 
continuing most of the season. The coloring is much the 
same as that of the darkest purple beech, which entitles it 
to a position among shrubs such as that tree has secured 
in the great family of larger growths. It holds its color 
much longer than does the beech. The shrub grows from 
four to six feet, and thrives in dry as well as in moist 
soils. 

SASSAFRAS. 

THE sassafras is a native of the eastern portions of 
the United States, ranging from Canada to Florida, 
and adapting itself to these extremes of heat and 
cold. It constitutes a genus of the order Lauracece, with but 
a single species and few or no marked varieties. The name, 
as given by Linnaeus, and adopted by about every author- 
ity since his time, is Laurus sassafras, but modern bota- 
nists now propose to call it Sassafras sassafras, which leads 
Dr. E. S. Bartin, in the American Journal of Pharmacy, to 
say that this is " doubtless applied in strict accordance 
with the new rules for botanical nomenclature ; but whose 



Sassafras. 



i73 



unpleasant effect upon the ear could not be well endured, 
except in the hope that sometime between now and the 
millennium our botanical nomenclature will acquire some- 
thing like a stable 
equilibrium." The 
tree never grows ^ 
a large size, though 
sometimes rising to 
a height of forty to 
fifty feet, and that, 
too, when the trunk 
is scarcely more than 
one or two feet in di- 
ameter. In the ex- 
treme North it is little 
more than a tall slen- It 
der shrub. The bark 
of the trunk is some- 
what gray in color, 
and deeply furrowed, 
but on the young 
branches the covering is usually green tinged with red. 
It is impossible to give a description of its leaf that will 
fit all cases or even apply wholly to a certain tree, for the 
sassafras has the peculiarity of bearing leaves that do not 
resemble each other. They are usually about four inches 
long, petioled and alternate. Some of them on the same 
stem are oval and entire ; some have a rather small lobe 
on each side ; others are lobed on one side and not on the 
opposite, and still others appear with three lobes. The 




SASSAFRAS OFFICINALE. 



174 Ornamental Shrubs. 

flower is yellow, not very conspicuous, and appears in ad- 
vance of the leaves. 

The sassafras was one of the first of American trees to 
attract the attention of Europeans. It was carried to the 
Old World as early as 1540, and in 1549 a treatise was 
published by Gerard, who called it the ague tree, and 
pronounced a decoction of its bark a cure for many 
diseases. For a long time its real or supposed medicinal 
virtues gave it a high place among the physicians, and its 
merits are still recognized. Its virtues in this direction 
are said to come largely from the inner bark, both of the 
trunk and roots, which is of a dark reddish color not alto- 
gether unlike the celebrated Peruvian bark. The flowers 
and twigs are also in use, and the wood is sold in chips for 
medicinal purposes. Few trees or plants have held their 
reputation so long and through so many vicissitudes as 
this. A large number of supposed species or varieties are 
found in a fossil condition, — that is to say, the leaves of 
such trees are found, and it has been supposed they be- 
longed to different species, from the fact of their varying 
in character, — but as our present species of sassafras has 
numerous forms, even on a small tree, it does not follow 
that these ancient geological specimens are of extinct 
sorts. 

LAGERSTRCEMIA— Crape Myrtle. 

THIS constitutes a small genus of the order Lythracece, 
consisting of about a dozen species, all natives 
of Asia, and but little known in cultivation. They 
are mostly greenhouse plants, two or three only being suf- 



Lagerstroemia — Crape Myrtle. 



i75 



ficiently hardy to endure the climate of any portion of the 
United States. Of these L. indica is best known and 
most highly appreciated. It grows from six to ten feet, 
and has somewhat oval leaves, acute and glabrous. The 
blossoms are large and very beautiful, produced in pani- 
cles, are bright pink with the petals curled, and on long 




LAGERSTRCEMIA. 



claws. They appear in midsummer, and the effect is 
very striking. The shrub is found to be sufficiently hardy 
to thrive in the Middle States in protected situations, and 
is quite at home farther south. There it proves a most 
desirable acquisition, and is fast coming to be appreciated. 
It is popularly known as the crape myrtle, a name sug- 
gested by a peculiarity of the flowers. There is a variety 
with white blossoms, making an agreeable contrast when 



176 Ornamental Shrubs. 

the two are planted in conjunction. Another species, 
L. flos-regince, commonly called queen's flower, is equally 
suited to garden cultivation, and is perhaps even more 
interesting-. The flowers are from two to three inches 
in diameter, of a beautiful rose-color in the morning, 
changing gradually to purple at night. The shrub is a 
native of China. 

AMELANCHIER. 

THE amelanchiers are well known shrubs or small 
trees to which more attention should be given 
in ornamental planting than they have yet re- 
ceived. They belong to the order Rosacea, and are widely 
distributed, though until quite recently supposed to be 
almost exclusively natives of North America. With the 
opening up of Japan several new species were discovered, 
some of which prove to be of value, being largely planted 
in Europe, and to some extent in the United States in 
competition with those which are natives of the soil. 
There is some confusion among the botanists as to classi- 
fication and names, but the questions raised are compara- 
tively of small importance to practical horticulturists, 
however entertaining and interesting to the experts. 
The nomenclature in use by Nicholson, Torrey, and Gray 
will be followed. 

A. canadensis is more common both in our forests 
and gardens than any other species. Loudon found it in 
abundance in the American woods during his early bo- 
tanical tours, and first brought it to the attention of the 
general public, describing it as follows : " A very orna- 



Amelanchier. 177 

mental tree, from its profusion of blossoms early in 
April, and from its rich autumnal foliage ; and even the 
fruit is not altogether to be despised, either eaten by 
itself or in tarts, pies, and puddings. The wood is white, 
and it exhibits no difference between the heart and sap. 
It is longitudinally traversed by small, bright red vessels, 
which intersect each other and run together — a physio- 
logical peculiarity which, Micheaux observes, occurs also 
in the red birch." As might be expected of a shrub or 
tree whose habitat extends from Hudson's Bay to the 
Gulf States, and from the Atlantic to the base of the 
Rocky Mountains, and possibly even beyond, it is per- 
fectly hardy and full of vigor. It is sometimes of bushy 
form, but more frequently appears as a small tree rising 
from fifteen to thirty feet. Its pure-white flowers are dis- 
posed in short racemes, and so numerous are they that 
the foliage and branches are almost hidden from sieht. In 
autumn it is almost equally beautiful, its foliage taking 
on bright golden-yellow tints, thus closing as well as 
opening the season with a show of beauty. The fruit, 
popularly known as the June berry, service berry, and 
shad berry, is about the size of a currant, of purple 
color, and agreeable to the taste, so that where the trees 
are abundant it is often gathered as an article of food. 
It matures in June or early July. The tree blossoms and 
produces fruit while quite young, and it is no uncommon 
thing for a specimen of but three or four feet to be heavily 
laden, thus affording quick returns to the planter. A. 
botryapium is given by Gray as a synonym, and by others 
as the name of a variety. 



178 Ornamental Shrubs. 

A. almfolia is a Western species or variety of much 
smaller proportions, being a veritable dwarf though pos- 
sessing all the good qualities imputed to the larger plant. 
It is of especial value where a smaller form is desired 
through limitations of space or adaptation to surrounding 
objects. In some locations it is grown especially for its 
fruit, which is esteemed above that of the currant, while 
the bush is much more ornamental, and occupies no more 
space. It has sometimes been put on the market as a 
blueberry, but is of quite another family. It has the 
advantage of producing both blossoms and fruit when not 
more than two or three feet high. The flowers appear 
later than those of the larger sort, and so help to 
lengthen the season. A. rotundifolia is much the same 
except that the bush grows some two feet taller, and 
there are several others offered in the market with differ- 
ences so slight as to call for no further description. 

A. japonica is a recent introduction to American gar- 
dens, and appears to be worthy of notice. It, too, has 
early blossoms in great abundance, not differing materially 
from those already described. Its fruit is bright scarlet, 
and proves very showy, and hangs on a long time, often 
after the leaves have fallen. It is a strong grower and highly 
ornamental in its foliage as well as in its fruit and blossom. 

DAPHNE. 

THE daphnes constitute a very interesting genus of 
the order Thymelceacece, the several species of which 
are widely distributed throughout the south tem- 
perate zone, and in smaller numbers in the southern hemi- 



Daphne. 179 

sphere. It is said that there are some forty species and 
varieties of which note has been taken by botanists and 
horticulturists. They are all small shrubs, though in some 
cases in tree form, and present numerous attractions. 
Some are evergreen and others are deciduous. In culti- 
vation a few are known only as greenhouse plants, but 
the great majority are counted hardy and suitable for 
garden and park planting. 

D. mezereum is one of the very best of early spring 
bloomers, and merits much more attention than it has yet 
received from horticulturists and planters in this country. 
The plant is perfectly hardy, and it is claimed will grow 
up to the very borders of the Arctic regions. Whether it 
will endure such an extreme test or not, it is certain that 
it can be used freely in all portions of the United States 
short of Alaska, and is also available in the South to the 
borders of the Gulf. It has been in use in English gardens 
for more than three hundred years, and has held its own 
against all newcomers for that long period. It is a low- 
growing plant, seldom rising more than two feet, but is of 
a somewhat spreading habit and so covering considerable 
space. The flowers are pink, very abundant and very 
fragrant, appearing at the first breath of spring and often 
before the snow has fully gone. When these are over, 
the little bush is almost equally attractive from the presence 
and character of its fruit. In June the branches are 
crowded with large, bright red berries, affording a marked 
contrast to the dark green leaves. Coming thus when so 
few plants are in blossom, and continuing so long in fruit, 
the wonder is that it is not better known and more largely 



i8o Ornamental Shrubs. 

planted in ordinary gardens. It is not easily propagated 
in the nursery, and so costs slightly more than some 
larger sorts, and this may account for a portion of the 
comparative neglect. But, as already stated, when estab- 
lished in the border or planted in groups it is equal to the 
best, and will withstand almost any exposure. And it is 
not a small thing in its favor that it blossoms every year, 
and is not very particular as to soil or surroundings. 

D. cneorum. — In this we have another small shrub of 
which it is difficult to say too much. It is popularly known 
as the garland flower, has evergreen foliage, and blooms 
during May in New England and the North, and much 
earlier in warmer climes. The flowers are of a rich 
lilac shade, and profuse in their abundance. During the 
summer they appear from time to time, and in autumn 
often break forth anew and cover for the second time the 
whole bush. A writer in the London Garden speaks of a 
full crop of flowers as late as December, and Garden and 
Forest says that plants in the neighborhood of New York 
were blooming on the twelfth of the same month, opening 
their flowers perfectly and giving forth a fragrance which 
seemed even richer than that of the spring bloom. This 
plant is especially recommended for rockwork, for borders 
of shrubberies, and for planting in groups where masses of 
color are desired. 

D. genkwa is a deciduous shrub growing two to three 
feet in height, with numerous twiggy branches clothed 
with a soft down. Like all the daphnes, it blossoms in 
early spring, producing violet-colored flowers the whole 
length of the otherwise naked branches. They continue 



Viburnum. 181 

two or three weeks, and are quite fragrant though not 
especially beautiful. Some of the varieties are superior 
to the type, having larger flowers and of a richer shade of 
dark purple, while one, not yet known to cultivation, has 
been discovered with white flowers. Though not the best 
of the family, the species is worthy of cultivation, and in 
some situations proves of special value. 

D. laureola. — This takes its popular name of spurge- 
laurel from its foliage ; the leaves are green, oblong, and 
remain through the entire winter. It is a low plant — 
even smaller than cneorum, and less beautiful in flower, as 
the blossoms are of a greenish cast and without fragrance. 
But it is a good foliage plant, and has the quality of 
growing in the shade, and especially under trees, better 
than most other sorts. For such situations it serves a 
good purpose, and may be used to advantage as one of 
the best under-shrubs. 

VIBURNUM. 

THE viburnums constitute a genus of small trees or 
shrubs of the natural order Caprifoliacece, repre- 
senting about eighty species, mostly distributed 
throughout the north temperate zone, though a few speci- 
mens are also found in the West Indies and Madagascar. 
Much the greater number are indigenous to America. 
They usually have opposite branches, with undivided, 
lobed leaves, white, terminal, tubular flowers, and seed-like 
berries. They prefer moist places, but grow well in partial 
shade in any good soil, though preferring a peaty substance 
to sand or gravel. The more valuable are the following : 



182 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



The English wayfaring tree, or hobble-bush, V. Ian- 
tana, known also as the rowan tree, is a shrub ten to 
twenty feet high, with small white flowers, in large, flat 
cymes, appearing in May or June. The fruit, which re- 
mains long on the stem, is a bluish-black berry, somewhat 
flattened and quite sweet to the taste. The leaves are 
two to four inches in length, rough or crinkled in appear- 
ance, downy, and often with hairs on the under side. The 
inner bark is acrid, and both it and the fruit have been 
much used in medicine. It is indigenous to countries as 
far north as Scotland and Siberia, and widely distributed. 
The rowan tree was long supposed to be a protection 
against witches, and in times when men put faith in gob- 
lins and spirits intent on mischief its efficacy was seldom 
doubted ; for that reason it was planted in close proximity 
to dwellings and stables. 

The American species, V. lantanoides, differs somewhat 
from the above, as it appears less in tree form and more 
as a low, bushy shrub. It grows wild in dark, moist, 
rocky woods as far north as New Brunswick, and thence 
south through portions of New England to the mountains 
of North Carolina ; and often makes a beautiful show of 
flowers in unfrequented and desolate places. The leaves 
are from four to six inches across, shaped much like the 
English variety, smooth above but downy along the 
veins. The flowers are in broad heads of white, and are 
followed by crimson fruit, afterward turning black. Breck 
says: "The first time we beheld the crooked, straggling 
shrub in flower in its native haunts, a dark swamp, we 
thought it one of the most ornamental shrubs in the 



Viburnum. 



183 



country. It is certainly worthy a place in every collec- 
tion." There is a variety of considerable value, with the 
same general features, but having variegated leaves white 
and yellow. 

The sweet viburnum, or sheep berry, V. lentago, grows 
from fifteen to thirty feet high, and is valuable for or- 
namental purposes. 
The flowers are pro- 
fuse and showy, ap- 
p e ar i ng in June. 
They are composed 
of a large number of 
terminal cymes, mak- 
ing a broad, white 
head with a slight 
tinge of yellow. The 
fruit consists of rich, 
dark blue berries, 
and, as they are in 
marked contrast to 
the autumn foliage 
hues, the appearance 
is very striking. The leaves are ovate, pointed, and on 
long, marginal petioles. 

The so-called high bush cranberry, V. opulus, grows 
from five to ten feet, and is a vigorous shrub showy in 
both its flowers and its fruit. Emerson says : " In May 
or early in June it spreads open at the end of every branch 
a broad cyme of soft, delicate flowers, surrounded by an 
irregular circle of snow-white stars, scattered, apparently, 




VIBURNUM OPULUS. 



1 84 Ornamental Shrubs. 

for show. The fruit, which is red when ripe, is of a 
pleasant, acid taste, resembling cranberries, for which it 
is sometimes substituted." This plant is beautiful in 
flower, in leaf, and in fruit ; and as the fruit remains well 
into the winter, ever deepening in color, the beauty of the 
bush lasts all the year. It is the parent of the well-known 
snowball tree, which under cultivation produces only 
sterile flowers. In this form it has long been well known. 
There is also a variety with variegated foliage, the leaves 
marked with yellow and white. The V. o. nana is the 
dwarf of the family, for, though perfect in all its forms, it 
seldom lifts its head more than a foot from the ground. 

The naked viburnum, or wythe rod, V. nudum, is also 
a native of America, and indigenous as far north as New 
England and southward to Florida, proving entirely hardy 
in both sections. The flowers are yellowish-white, appear- 
ing in May or June. They are composed of small florets 
in large, crowded heads. The fruit is nearly round, quite 
large, of a deep blue color, ripening in September or 
October. The leaves are oblong-oval, with a rather rough 
surface. It is an interesting shrub, but less valuable than 
several of the other species. 

The Japan snowball, V. plicatum, is one of our later 
acquisitions, and is pronounced by good judges the most 
beautiful and most desirable of all the members of the 
family. It is of moderate growth and compact habit. The 
leaves are crinkled or plicated, of a rich green color, borne 
on brown shoots, while the flowers are larger and more 
solid than those of the common snowball. They hang 
long on the bush, and are very showy. The great-clus- 



Viburnum. 



185 



tered snowball, V. macrocephalum, was first found in 
the gardens about Chusan, in China. It proves to be 
the equal of the old American snowball, or guelder 
rose, in purity of color, and far eclipses it in size and 
beauty. Each blossom is more than an inch across, and 
the clusters made up of these measure eight or ten inches 




VIBURNUM MACROCEPHALUM. 



in diameter. It is sometimes advertised as a new species 
from Japan, but, though rare, has been planted here for 
many years. The tree grows to the height of about 
twenty feet. It is sufficiently hardy to withstand the 
winters of New England. 

Arrow-wood, V. dentatum, was popularly so named be- 
cause the Indians used it in the manufacture of their ar- 
rows for use in hunting and in war. The wood is heavy, 



1 86 Ornamental Shrubs. 

exceedingly hard and tough, and capable of high polish. 
The shrub is small, seldom growing more than five or ten 
feet, with light-colored bark, and pale green leaves sharply 
dentate. The dark blue flowers are large and showy, fol- 
owed by purple fruit that hangs long on the branches. It 
is an interesting plant for the garden or border, and, 
though found chiefly in swamps, will grow on ordinary 
rich land to perfection. Downy arrow-wood, V. pubescens, 
is not as interesting as are most of the other species, and is 
scarcely found in our northern latitudes, while appearing 
in abundance in the swamps of Kentucky and farther 
south. Gray describes it as a low, straggling shrub, hav- 
ing ovate and taper-pointed leaves, with a few coarse teeth 
and a downy surface. The fruit is dark purple, much like 
that of dentatum. Maple-leaved arrow-wood, V. acerifolium, 
is a low, slender shrub, three to six feet, the leaves of 
which have a close resemblance to those of the maple, be- 
ing three-ribbed and three-lobed. It is entirely hardy, and 
often found growing in the forests of New England. The 
flowers are borne on terminal cymes, with slender stamens, 
and are of a pale purple color when first opening, the 
corolla afterward becoming pure white. 

The dilated viburnum, V. dilatatum, is a native of 
Japan, and grows to a height of eight or ten feet. The 
small flowers are in cymes from two to five inches across, and 
very pretty, appearing in June. The best authorities pro- 
nounce it a valuable shrub, though it does not appear to 
have been largely planted as compared with plicatum, 
which everywhere now takes the lead. The fragrant 
viburnum, V. odoratissimum, is a shrub from the Chinese 



Viburnum. 



187 



mountains, and rises to a height of ten feet. The flowers 
are very sweet-scented. They are in corymbs, white and 
quite showy in May, being among the first blossoms that 
put out an appearance. It has the reputation of not being 




VIBURNUM TOMENTOSUM. 



entirely hardy except in situations protected from high 
winds and extreme cold. V. tomentosum differs from the 
plicatum in having more hairy foliage and less double 
flowers. It is hardy and desirable. 

The evergreen viburnum, V. times, is a native of 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



southern Europe, and retains its foliage through the 
winter. The leaves are oblong, entire, and sometimes 




VIBURNUM PRUNIFOLIUM. 

hairy. The flowers are at first rose-tinted, but soon be- 
come pure white. They come forth in late autumn, and 



Buxus — Box. 189 

often at warm periods in winter from December to March, 
when they never fail to attract attention. The fruit is dark 
blue, resembling that of several of the other species. The 
shrub grows from six to nine feet under favorable condi- 
tions. It is a curious plant, and well worthy of attention. 
The variety known as the frcebelii has lighter-colored 
flowers. Another variety, the lucidum, brought from 
Mount Atlas, has large glossy leaves, and also larger 
flowers than the original. They appear in early spring. 

The wrinkled-leaved viburnum, V. rugosum, is an ever- 
green growing from four to six feet. The flowers are not 
especially attractive, but the peculiarity of appearing in 
winter creates an interest in the plant. Its habit is much 
the same as that of the tinus, but it is not so hardy and 
does not hold its foliage so persistently. 

What is known to some as the American black haw is 
the V. prunifolium, named from its prune-shaped leaves. 
It becomes a large shrub or small tree, but is less valuable 
than many of the other sorts named ; still it is not without 
interest. 

BUXUS— Box. 

THE box is a genus of hardy evergreen shrubs or 
small trees, of the order Euphorbiacece. These 
plants were largely in use among the Greeks and 
Romans, and were highly spoken of by some of the most 
noted writers of antiquity. The Greek word indicating 
the character of the shrub signifies strength, or sometimes 
a cup, and is supposed to have been applied from the use 
of the wood, which is especially fine-grained and hard, and 



190 Ornamental Shrubs. 

was largely used in the manufacture of goblets and orna- 
ments. All the members of the family are broad-leaved 
evergreens, but not all are sufficiently hardy to withstand 
our extreme northern winters. They are furnished with 
opposite leaves, entire at the margins, and possessing a 
peculiarity by which the plates can be easily split. The 
blossoms are numerous but inconspicuous, growing in 
axillary clusters, the male and female specimens, though 
distinct, being on the same plant. There are but two 
species in ordinary garden cultivation. 

B. sempervirens is the most widely distributed, and is 
commonly known as the tree box, specimens of which may 
be seen in many of our old gardens. It is nowhere in- 
digenous to America though found in similar latitudes 
throughout England and southern Europe, and even as 
far east as Persia and perhaps China. At its best it is 
said to rise in tree form from twelve to fifteen feet, but, as 
it advances toward the colder regions, it gradually dimin- 
ishes to three or four feet. The leaves are small, oblong- 
oval, bright green, and somewhat coriaceous. The wood 
is hard, close-grained, and capable of a very high polish, 
the specific gravity being such that it will not float in 
water. Though small, it is a long-lived tree, many speci- 
mens found in the Eastern States being considerably more 
than a hundred years old and still in good condition. The 
species has given off numerous varieties, some of which 
as garden plants are to be preferred to the type. B. 
suffrutzcosa, or dwarf box, has been used for edgings to 
paths and borders more largely than, perhaps, any other 
plant. Nearly all the old-fashioned gardens in this country, 



Buxus — Box. 191 

following the custom of Europe, had their box borders, 
so much so that they became somewhat monotonous, and 
a revulsion came, resulting to a considerable degree in 
their discontinuance. But of late the tide has turned, and 
the tendency now is in favor of their restoration. Another 
departure is the B. s. argentea, or silver-variegated, in 
which the foliage is marked with white. This, though a 
larger and more rapidly-growing plant, can be employed 
to advantage for hedges, or used as single specimens for 
grouping, and is also capable of good service as an under- 
shrub in parks and other large grounds where partially 
shade-loving growths are desired. The B. s. attrea and 
the marginata have their leaves marked with yellow, and 
may be used in the same way. Another variation, known 
in the catalogues as elegantissima variegata, is said to be 
very fine. The macrophylla has larger leaves, more oval in 
form than the type, while in the microphylla they are much 
smaller. Handsworthii is distinguished as an upright 
form with still more oval leaves and as being a vigorous 
grower. It has deep green foliage, and is credited with 
being especially hardy, and thriving where most of the 
others are liable to fail. 

B. balearica, known also as the Minorca box, has larger 
foliage than sempervirens, and is also a native of western 
Europe and Asia. It latterly has come to be called by 
some the Japanese box, though for no good reason, as 
Japan is only one of the many countries in which it is 
indigenous. Its yellowish-green leaves are about two 
inches long and a little more than half as broad. It some- 
times attains a height of fifteen to twenty feet with a large 



192 Ornamental Shrubs. 

though compact head. As a single specimen it is probably 
the best of the family, but, unfortunately, it is not quite so 
hardy as sempervirens, and in northern localities must have 
winter protection, especially when young. In the Middle 
and Southern States it may not need extra care. It, too, 
has gold- and silver-leaved varieties, and some of the hand- 
somest plants sent out from the nurseries are of this class. 
The box is capable of being grown in any form desired, 
and is entirely submissive to the knife or pruning shears. 
In the days when more formal gardening was in vogue, 
and plants were cut and grown in fantastic shapes, the box 
was one of the favorite plants for use in this direction. 
At the present time that absurd system is almost unknown, 
though occasionally an attempt is made to copy from the 
old models as a matter of curiosity rather than the desire 
of restoring the stiffness of the straight lines and geometric 
and sculptural figures of what is popularly called Italian 
gardening. 

KOELREUTERIA. 

THIS native of China is named for the German pro- 
fessor, Koelreuter. It is of the order Sapindacea, 
and is a small tree of particularly picturesque habit 
of growth, which makes it highly desirable for lawn or 
garden. On the European continent, where the planting 
of these dwarf trees is understood to perfection, they are 
used to an extent unthought of in America, and are placed 
where effect and, in some cases, shade are desired without 
interference with view or a free circulation of air. A bet- 
ter understanding here of the subject would prevent the 



194 Ornamental Shrubs. 

disappointment often experienced by the owner of a small 
place, when he finds the pride he has taken in his trees to 
be changing to dismay as they rapidly increase in size 
year after year, and shut out desirable outlooks and air, 
till at last they become a nuisance instead of a joy. 

For all purposes where a dwarf tree is needed K. 
paniculata can be recommended and without reservation. 
It is easily grown in common soil, and is believed to suc- 
ceed best where the ground is not very rich. It has 
irregular, spreading branches covered with dark green 
leaves alternate and deeply toothed. In June and July, as 
the blossoms of the horse-chestnut fall and flowering trees 
become rare, those of koelreuteria appear. They are 
mostly of a rich yellow, and are borne in large panicles of 
many flowers that stand out conspicuously from the green 
foliage. These are followed by a fruit varying in color, 
green, bronze-red, and purple. The keeping quality of the 
leaves, and the succeeding flowers and fruit, make the tree 
ornamental and interesting for an unusually long period. 
The fact that the young plants spring up readily from the 
seed that falls to the ground, leads to the hope that this 
beautiful little foreigner will some day be familiarly known 
in our gardens. 

RHUS— Sumach. 

THE genus rhus includes more than a hundred 
species of interesting plants widely distributed over 
both continents, though few or none are found 
within the tropics. They are most abundant in the United 
States, China, Japan, and South Africa, the range on the 



Rhus — Sumach. 195 

Dark Continent extending to the Cape of Good Hope 
while on the other hand it reaches to equally northern ex- 
tremes. Many sorts are tender, while others are compara- 
tively indifferent to heat and cold, as well as to soils and 
other horticultural conditions. A few are exceedingly 
poisonous, in this respect rivalling the famous upas tree, 
but nearly all are not only harmless but ornamental. 
These sumachs, as they are popularly called, are prized 
for their beauty of foliage and their peculiar flowers and 
fruitage ; and when rightly handled they may fill an im- 
portant niche in garden and park planting. 

R. aromatica — fragrant sumach — is a low -growing 
shrub with a spreading head, and rising five to eight feet. 
The leaves are slightly pubescent in their early stages, 
thickening with age, and when crushed give out an agree- 
able odor. They are compound, with three pairs of 
leaflets unequally cut and toothed. The flowers are pale 
yellow, in spikes closely clustered, and appearing in ad- 
vance of the foliage in April and May. Though an 
interesting species, it is not the most showy of its class in 
either leaf, flower, or fruit. 

R. typhina, or, as it is commonly called, the staghorn 
sumach, is a much more ornamental shrub, and is also of 
American origin, being quite frequently found growing in 
the borders of woods and on dry and infertile hillsides. 
In fact, it does not appear to be very particular as to soils 
and surrounding conditions. The branches are blunt and 
clumsy-looking, usually thickly covered with hairs, and al- 
most wholly lacking in symmetry of arrangement. For this 
reason the shrub is best planted among other sorts such 



196 Ornamental Shrubs. 

as may partially hide the seeming deformity and yet per- 
mit the brilliant scarlet autumnal foliage to be seen. The 
leaflets, fifteen to thirty-one, are oblong-lanceolate, and 
very few plants at the season show to better advantage, or 
do more to enliven the border and brighten the landscape. 
The buds are also curious, as they are deeply set in the 
middle of a large leaf-scar, and protected by a mass of 
hairs, almost cone-shaped, against climatic exposures. The 
flowers are greenish yellow, and collected in a thyrsoid, 
terminal panicle. This is, to say the least, an interesting 
shrub, and can be used to advantage in many positions. 

R. glabra, or smooth sumach, is one of the best known 
species in this country, being found along the borders of 
woods or growing freely in dry and sterile situations, often 
taking possession of entire fields and holding them with 
such tenacity, through its deeply extending roots, as not 
to be easily dislodged. It is a low-growing, spreading 
bush with irregular branches and a rather unshapely form, 
but is, nevertheless, of considerable horticultural value. 
The leaves are compound, often a foot or more long, with 
from fifteen to thirty-one leaflets on a large smooth stalk. 
The leaflets are nearly or quite sessile, oblong, and pointed 
at the apex, though rounded at the base. The blossoms 
are in large and much-branched heads at the ends of the 
stems, and of from ten to twelve inches extension. They 
are greenish-yellow and slightly fragrant. In the autumn 
the foliage becomes brilliantly crimson, and the heads of 
fruit, made up of velvety berries arranged in cones or 
spikes, are among the most showy productions of the field 
or forest. When growing in masses, especially if looked 



Rhus — Sumach. 



197 



upon from a little distance, few plants are more showy. 
The fruit remains longer than the leaves, and though 
slightly changing its color is still attractive. R.g. lacin- 
iata, one of the varieties sometimes known as the fern- 
leaved sumach, is still more worthy of a place in the garden. 
It is a smaller plant, from three to five feet high, 
and has finely 
cut foliage. It 
is best grown in 
the form of a low 
bush with sev- 
eral stems which, 
if permitted, will 
spring from the 
common root in 
the form of suck- 
ers. As in au- 
tumn its feathery 
leaves take on 
the same crim- 
son hues as the 
type, a cluster of these long stems when at the best, and 
in contrast with surrounding objects, has almost the ap- 
pearance of a ball of fire. This comparatively new form 
is one of our most valuable recent introductions, and has 
been long enough before the public to have won a repu- 
tation accordingly. R. copallina is a dwarf sumach, with 
running roots, and is often scarcely more than a foot high. 
It can be made to quickly cover rocky and barren spaces 
whenever such a result is desired. 




RHUS GLABRA LACINIATA. 



198 Ornamental Shrubs. 

R. cotinus — Smoke tree, Venetian sumach — is not only 
the most remarkable member of the family, but also one 
of the most peculiar and interesting of the hardy plants. 
Its departures from the family type led Nuttall in his 
description of the bush to name it Rhus cotinoides, indi- 
cating thereby resemblance rather than identity. Prof. 
Sargent in our own day takes much the same view, and 
so inclines to a distinct classification. Be that as it may, 
the plant is likely to be known in the future, as it has been 
in the past, to the great majority of those who have to do 
with it, as the Venetian sumach or smoke tree. The bush 
is much planted in England, and the London Garden 
speaks of it from that standpoint as follows : " This 
when in flower always arrests the attention, because of its 
singular appearance, of even those who do not take a 
general interest in shrubs. On account of the feathery 
nature of the sterile flower-clusters, some call it the wig 
tree, a name by which perhaps it is better known than 
Venetian sumach. It is an invaluable shrub, as it is 
attractive at a time when shrubberies begin to look dull and 
monotonous. It is always a dwarf, spreading bush, rarely 
more than eight feet high. Its glaucous, round leaves 
make a pleasing contrast to the reddish, feathery clusters. 
It is hardy, almost evergreen, and grows in all kinds of 
soils, but must always have plenty of room to allow 
of full development." The autumnal foliage assumes 
a lovely shade of rosy-crimson, and whether in groups 
or standing as single specimens out in the open, it 
is certain to attract attention. The flowers are in loose 
panicles, of light purple or flesh color, the pedicels becoming 



Rhus — Sumach. 



199 



lengthened and hairy after blossoming, and spreading over 
the whole bush, giving it a misty appearance, whence it is 




RHUS COTINUS. 



often known as the smoke tree, by which name in some 
sections many only know it. It is a native of Caucasus 



200 Ornamental Shrubs. 

and other eastern countries, and proves hardy in all parts 
of the United States. 

R. semialata — Osbeck's sumach. This, though intro- 
duced to eastern cultivation as a Japanese tree, is found to 
be widely distributed throughout most of the Asiatic 
countries, appearing frequently on the Himalayas and other 
lofty mountains as well as in lower altitudes. It grows in 
the form of a tree, twenty to thirty feet, and with some- 
what remarkable vigor. Properly cared for, it makes a 
shapely and symmetrical specimen, and becomes an object 
of beauty wherever planted. As first described as seen 
at the Arnold Arboretum, where it had been tested for 
several years, it was represented as having compound 
leaves some fifteen inches long, with fifteen to twenty- 
three leaflets six or seven inches in length, dark green and 
shining on the upper surface but pale and covered with 
a soft, rusty pubescence beneath. The short-pediceled 
flowers are produced in large terminal panicles, the whole 
constituting a very showy head. The florets are pure 
white, though the projecting anthers give a yellowish cast 
to the cluster as a whole. Not much can be said for the 
fruit, which is inferior to that of several of the American 
species. The blossoms appear late in July, or in early 
August, and the fruit holds on until late in autumn. In 
Japan the coloring of the leaves near the close of the 
season is very vivid, and the most brilliant orange and 
crimson in all the forests. In the North the plant is 
not regarded as quite as hardy as some of the native 
species. 



Osmanthus. 201 

AMORPHA. 

THIS is a genus of the order Leguminoscz, and a na- 
tive of the United States, and, though confined 
by Nature's processes to the southern section, the 
cultivated species thrive as far north as New Eno-land, 
and are quite at home in the middle Northwest. They are 
described as handsome, hardy, deciduous shrubs, with 
graceful, pinnate leaves and many pairs of leaflets which 
are full of pellucid dots. The racemes of the flowers are 
in elongated spikes, usually in fascicles at the tops of the 
branches, and the corolla is without wings and keel. They 
are all well adapted to small shrubberies, preferrino- a 
sheltered situation and doing well in any good garden 
soil. 

A fruticosa, or the shrubby species, is better known as 
the false or bastard indigo, from the color of its blossoms, 
which are a deep indigo-blue or very dark bluish-purple. 
The individual flowers are small, and, except on close 
study, appear dull and uninteresting ; but closer inspec- 
tion reveals the beauty of the richly colored petals as con- 
trasted with the yellow anthers, which protrude slightly be- 
yond the rim of the cup. When these are gathered into 
spikes borne at the terminals of the several branches, and 
these spikes are bunched in twos and threes, thus covering 
almost the whole bush, they appear to especial advantage, 
and are really beautiful. The bush itself is somewhat 
stocky, as it sends up numerous free-growing shoots to 
the height of six or eight feet, clothed with elliptic, oblong 
leaves, the lower ones on long petioles and the upper 
more nearly sessile, glabrous, and slightly pubescent. The 



202 Ornamental Shrubs. 

plant is at its best late in June or early in July, when its 
blossoms are in perfection. 

A. canescens — Lead plant. — This is a much smaller 
plant, seldom rising more than three feet. According to 
the older botanists, it was introduced to English gardens as 
lono- ago as 1812, and was received with considerable favor, 
and somewhat freely employed in decorative horticulture. 
But it is now seldom found in gardens on either continent, 
having been crowded out by the multitude of new and 
more rare, but not always better, sorts. Still it is named 
in several of the nurserymen's catalogues, especially on the 
European continent. It is worthy of a restoration to pop- 
ular favor, and will doubtless again see better days. It 
takes its name from the color of the foliage, which in both 
stems and leaves is of a whitish or lead-colored cast. The 
flowers are much the same as in the larger species, and 
are also produced in terminal, clustered spikes several 
inches long. They are deep purple, and do not usually 
make their appearance until the first of August, thus 
affording color at a time when flowering shrubs are not 
supposed to be at their best. It is a native of Missouri, 
where it is still found growing wild. 

Each of these amorphas has given off several varieties, 
which, however, do not appear to be especial improvements 

on the type. 

OSMANTHUS. 

THE name of this genus was applied because of the 
peculiar and agreeable fragrance of its blossoms, 
and is made up from osme, signifying perfume, 
and anthos, flower. It belongs to the olive family, and is 



Osmanthus. 203 

sometimes classed under that head ; but the best author- 
ities point out differences that justify a distinct classifica- 
tion. The tribe is small, only seven species being named. 
Those of greatest value are natives of North America or 
Japan. Though classed as reasonably hardy, none of 
them will endure extreme northern winters without pro- 
tection. But some of them, at least, will grow in the open, 
in the latitude of Philadelphia, and with slight care in 
New York and even in southern New England. They 
are certainly as hardy as the English holly or most of the 
mahonias, and should receive much the same treatment 
in cultivation. 

O. americanus is a native of this country, and grows 
in tree form from five to six feet. The foliage is elliptic- 
lanceolate, the leaves about four inches long, thick and 
glossy. The blossoms are nearly sessile, in threes, ax- 
illary, appearing in June in a compact thyrse. These 
are followed by purple, globose fruit in the form of a nut, 
and quite palatable to the taste. It is a good plant, 
though not the best of the genus. 

O. aquifolitmi. — This is a native of Japan, and esteemed 
one of the best. The foliage very much resembles that 
of the holly, being oblong or oval, coriaceous, smooth, and 
glossy. The leaves are stiffly armed with teeth, and are 
evergreen, thus affording an attractive winter aspect in 
connection with other broad-leaved evergreens. The 
flowers are white, very sweet-scented, appearing in autumn. 
Nicholson pronounces it a very handsome evergreen, vary- 
ing considerably in the size and toothing of the leaves. O. a. 
illicifolium is a variety which is held to be an improvement 



204 Ornamental Shrubs. 

over the type. It has smaller leaves and a more dense and 
compact head, and is supposed to be able to endure 
greater degrees of cold. It is pronounced by a good 
authority " the most beautiful of all the evergreen shrubs 
outside of the conifers." This is probably an overstate- 
ment resulting from undue partiality or exceptional con- 
ditions. But it is really a beautiful plant, and should be 
brought into much more general use. Its vigor is such 
that it may be safely planted in almost all sections of the 
country, numerous instances being reported where it has 
stood a zero climate without the loss or even turning of a 
leaf. Of this there are several forms of variegation in 
cultivation, mostly showing different colorings of leafage. 
O. a. myrifolium is what is known as " a fixed sport," with 
dense habit and leaves without spines. O. fragrans is 
perhaps the best known of all the species, though prop- 
erly esteemed an olive and described as O lea fragrans. It 
possesses the general characteristics of the genus as already 
pointed out, its flowers being yellow instead of white as in 
the O. a. illicifolium. They appear in June and continue 
until August under usual conditions, and are very pretty as 
well as exceedingly sweet-scented. The foliage is good, 
somewhat lanceolate, and finely serrated, glossy above but 
paler on the under surface and less showy. It is a native 
of China, and grows to the height of eight or ten feet, 
making a very attractive bush or small tree, and worthy 
of a place in every garden where climatic conditions are 
favorable. 



Euonymus. 205 

EUONYMUS. 

THIS genus of plants, though not especially large, 
is widely distributed. It was known to the 
ancient Greeks, and is said to have received its 
name from Theophrastus by the combination of eu, signi- 
fying good, and onoma, name ; and it is thought that this 
term may have been applied because the plant had the 
reputation of being poisonous, especially to cattle and 
other animals which might feed upon its leaves. The 
application of a good name to an object as a cover for its 
bad qualities, was somewhat common in those days, per- 
haps for the charitable purpose of hiding defects and speak- 
ing well of the unfortunate ; or possibly that no offence 
should be given to the gods, whose workmanship it was not 
deemed prudent to criticise. However this may be, the eu- 
onymus is a good shrub, highly ornamental, and worthy of a 
place in all our gardens. That its bark, leaves, and flowers 
contain elements unfitting them for food is very true. Be- 
cause of certain qualities the plant has long been esteemed 
by physicians for its medicinal properties, but these are not 
such as to render it dangerous to handle, or even to eat 
in small quantities. Dr. Gray mentions only two hardy 
species as indigenous to North America, and one variety. 
E. americanus, or strawberry tree, is described as a low, 
upright, or straggling bush, from two to five feet high, with 
bright green ovate or oblong-lanceolate leaves, and green- 
ish-purple flowers. The fruit, when ripened in autumn, is 
crimson-scarlet, and very showy. This variety is found 
mostly in moist situations, along the banks of streams, and 
is of service for shady situations as an under-shrub. 



206 Ornamental Shrubs. 

E. atropurpureus, known as the burning-bush, and also, 
in some localities, as the waahoo, is a shrub from six to 
fourteen feet high, with somewhat spreading branches, 
though sometimes grown in tree form. It is widely dis- 
tributed throughout the country, but more sparingly on 
the Atlantic slope. The leaves are bright green, oblong, 
serrate, and nearly sessile. Flowers appear mostly in 
fours, are dark purple, somewhat showy, and come in June. 
But the chief attraction is the fruit, which remains long 
into autumn, and from its bright scarlet or strawberry 
color and great abundance comes the popular name of 
burning-bush. This is surpassed for late autumn effects 
by few, if any, plants in use. 

E. europceus, the European spindle tree, is much the 
same, and is also known as burning-bush, though its seeds 
are of a paler hue, verging upon orange-yellow. This has 
long been a favorite in European gardens. It grows 
equally well here, and is largely planted. E. latifolins, 
the broad-leaved euonymus, is also a shrub of European 
origin, and grows six to eight feet high. The flowers are 
white when first opening, afterward becoming shaded with 
purple. They appear in June. The fruit is large, abun- 
dant, and highly colored. Though not much known in 
cultivation in this country, it is worth a trial in every 
good-sized collection. E. nanus is a veritable dwarf, 
growing about two feet, with spreading branches. It ap- 
pears to be reasonably hardy, and answers a good purpose 
when plants of its proportions are desired. Its fruit is 
abundant and showy. 

E. japonicus, Japan euonymus, is an evergreen, and 



Euonymus. 



207 



not so hardy as the European and American species. Its 
leaves are oblong and sharply pointed, and the flowers, 
which appear in April, are small and somewhat fringed. 




EUONYMUS JAPONICUS. 



The numerous branches are pendulous, gracefully droop- 
ing on all sides, and affording a full, round head. There 
are several varieties in cultivation, in one of which the 
leaves are margined with white, another with yellow, and 
still others with less distinct markings. It grows to a 



208 Ornamental Shrubs. 

height of twenty feet. Meehan says : " It is one of the 
few shrubs doing well along the seashore, though probably 
not hardy north of New Jersey." 

E. radicans is also an introduction from Japan, and is 
coming to be much used in England and America. It is 
an evergreen climber of slow growth, more hardy than the 
English ivy, and for that reason better for some situations. 
Though somewhat particular as to soils and exposures, it 
possesses qualities which commend it when it is desired to 
cover small areas, and to establish edgings for paths and 
borders. When thus employed it can be kept as low as the 
box, and is to be preferred. The variety with variegated 
foliage, E. r. argentea, is especially desirable. The 
leaves are light gray, and hold their color throughout the 
winter. 

E. yeddoensis is a native of Japan, and is a vigorous 
and compact grower, with large leaves deep green in sum- 
mer and bright red in autumn. The fruit is scarlet, 
hanging from a pink envelope, and lasts until the foliage 
falls. It may not be entirely hardy in the Northern States, 
but should have a future in the South. E. japonicus com- 
pactus is scarcely known in this country. The London 
Garden describes it as very different from the commoner 
forms of Japanese euonymus, as it makes a neat, compact 
little bush not more than six inches high, but quite 
upright in growth. The oblong-shaped leaves are each 
about three quarters of an inch in length, of a deep shin- 
ing green with a narrow margin of clear white. It will 
doubtless be sought after, when it becomes better known, 
as desirable for edgings and as a low bedding plant. 



Ostrya — Hop Hornbeam, Ironwood. 209 

E. alattis, or Japanese winged euonymus, proves to be 
large and well-shaped, with many of the best characteris- 
tics of the family, and in every way a most desirable 
garden plant. Its early buds in spring are marked with 
pink, which gives it a peculiar appearance. The foliage is 
agreeable at all times, in autumn turning to a pink or dark 
red hue. The flowers are white and not at all showy, but 
masses of brilliant scarlet berries afford an autumnal ex- 
hibit of rare beauty. It is not much planted as yet, but 
as it is quite hardy and easily grown it has only to be 
better known in order to win popular favor. 

OSTRYA — Hop Hornbeam, Ironwood. 

THIS is a genus of the order Corylacecz, of but 
three known species. Until recently, there has 
been supposed to be but one in Europe, and 
one in America, but within a few years a second American 
form has been discovered in Colorado, though it is smaller 
and in almost every way inferior to those which have 
been longer and so much better known, and but little 
account in this connection need be made of its presence. 
It has been named O. knowltonii in honor of the discov- 
erer, Mr. Frank H. Knowlton, and is interesting chiefly 
as a curiosity. The European species, C. vulgaris, has 
long been recognized in the Old World, and considerably 
planted, but now has practically given way to the Ameri- 
can species, which answers a much better purpose. 

O. virginica, or hop hornbeam, is a small tree, in the 
extreme North scarcely more than a shrub, of slender form, 
with foliage somewhat resembling that of the black birch. 



v 



210 Ornamental Shrubs. 

The leaves are oval or egg-shaped, about three inches in 
length, tapering to a long point, and with many smaller 
ones on the same branch. They are smooth above, and 
slightly downy below, with somewhat hairy angles. The 
autumnal coloring is very fine, as the head assumes various 
shades of orange-brown or russet. The flowers appear 
with the leaves, and the fruit is in a closed, bladdery-like, 
oblong bag. These bag-like involucres form a sort of 
strobile, in size and appearance so like that of the ordinary 
hop cluster as to justify the use of the common name. It 
is a handsome tree, especially when in fruit. The wood is 
of the same general character as that of the carpinus, and 
is used for the same purposes ; and like that it is some- 
times called ironwood. 

DESMODIUM. 

THE desmodiums are shrubs comparatively little 
known, and yet they are easily grown in any 
good garden soil, and have the especial merit of 
blooming late in the autumn and continuously until cut 
down by frost. The branches are numerous, gracefully 
pendulous, and when covered with flowers the effect is 
very fine. As a rule, they should be cut back severely, 
and if every year to the very ground the roots will remain 
uninjured, and the following spring throw up vigorous 
shoots productive of the result described. There are two 
species suitable for cultivation in this country. D.penduli- 
florum has deep rosy-purple flowers which are very attrac- 
tive, and by many it is placed among the best of all our 
ornamental shrubs. The fact that the flowers appear in 



Syringa — Lilac. 2 1 1 

September or early October, and continue until winter sets 
in, makes the plant a favorite wherever known. D. japoni- 
cum, a native of China and Japan, grows to about half the 
height, and produces white, pea-shaped blossoms the whole 
length of the dense, pendulous branches, and, like flendu/z- 
florum, late in September. It is an especially choice 
species, and worthy of introduction into all our gardens 
where autumn flowers are desired. 

SYRINGA— Lilac. 

THE genus syringa is too familiar to the general 
public to be in need of an introduction, though 
not many persons are familiar with its history or 
most of its numerous representatives. The species and 
varieties are almost everywhere known to. the English- 
speaking people as lilacs, while the true name has been 
popularly applied to another and quite a different family 
of shrubs to which it in no wise belongs. Though a few 
sorts only have been widely distributed in cultivation, 
there are yet many others, including numerous later ad- 
ditions to the list, which are exceedingly valuable for 
horticultural purposes and are now coming into use. 

The syringas belong to the natural order Oleacece, and 
as first known to botanists were supposed to be the pe- 
culiar product of Asia Minor and the countries bordering 
on and in the vicinity of the Black Sea. The first speci- 
mens were brought, as early as 1597, to England, where 
they were received with much favor and afterward 
largely distributed. From the mother country they very 
naturally found their way to America, and were among 



212 Ornamental Shrubs. 

the first to be thus imported and used in the colonial 
gardens. Here, too, they were widely scattered through- 
out town and country, and soon became so common that 
many people have been led to suppose they were natives 
of the soil. 

Not more than from twelve to fifteen distinct species 
are known, but these have thrown off a great number of 
varieties, some of which are far more interesting than the 
types from which they have sprung. As a rule, all the 
lilacs are hardy and vigorous-growing shrubs or small 
trees, and mostly with numerous long, straight branches 
and large clusters of various-colored flowers. Few shrubs 
or trees blossom more freely and uniformly from year to 
year, and fewer still adapt themselves to greater diversi- 
ties of soil and climate. They are at their best in early 
spring when flowers are most welcome, and can scarcely 
be planted amiss wherever a flowering bush or tree of 
their proportions is desired. Though calling attention to 
a goodly number of forms, old and new, it may well be 
said that no list of the species and varieties can be com- 
plete and remain so for any considerable period, inasmuch 
as new hybrids and fresh offshoots are making their ap- 
pearance almost every day, not all improvements on the 
older forms. 

S. vulgaris is the old-fashioned lilac, which is under- 
stood to have come from Asia through the medium 
already designated. Until within a few years it has been 
supposed that it was nowhere a native of Europe, but of 
late, in some of its varietal forms it has been found grow- 
ing wild in a Hungarian forest, though it is difficult to de- 



Syringa — Lilac. 



213 



termine whether these growths are indigenous to that 
section or came from seeds or plants that had " escaped 
from civilization," and thus found a new home throuo-h 
processes well understood to horticulturists. The tree 

grows in some- 
what bushy form 
from ten to 
twelve feet high 
under favorable 
conditions, with 
smooth, cordate 
leaves on lono- 
petioles, and 
large, showy 
panicles of flow- 
ers of that pe- 
culiar and almost 
indescribable 
color that takes 
the popular 
name of the 
genu s- — 1 i 1 a c . 
As already indicated, scarcely any plant has been natural- 
ized in so many lands, and been everywhere so thoroughly 
welcomed, as this, and it is not too much to say that it merits 
all the honors which it has received. It may now be old- 
fashioned, but it is nevertheless to be loved and honored. 

Of this species there are many varieties, and among 
them some of the finest plants in cultivation. It would be 
practically impossible to describe them all or even name 




SYRINGA VULGARIS. 



214 Ornamental Shrubs. 

them in this connection, but the following are among the 
most desirable sorts, and the descriptions will be sufficient 
to furnish the basis for a wide selection. S. v. alba is the 
well-known common white lilac which so many have 
learned to love, as it is already widely distributed. It 
closely resembles the type in everything except the color 
of the blossom, which is pure white and in large trusses. 
When the two are growing together the contrast in this 
respect is very marked. Most, if not all the other, white li- 
lacs are of inferior proportions to the vulgaris, while this 
is at least of equal height. ^ v. alba grandifiora is a much 
smaller bush, five to six feet high, but has larger clusters 
of even more showy flowers. Another white variety, ^. v. 
Marie Le^raye is a veritable dwarf, three to four feet, 
but though low is sufficiently bushy to show a beautiful 
head of pearly blossoms, making it especially desirable for 
borders or single specimens where there is but little room 
to be devoted to lilac culture. It is to many a curiosity 
greatly admired. 6". v. Frau Dammann, another offshoot, 
is pronounced by some good judges the very best of all 
the white sorts, but, though possessing many excellences, 
it is scarcely entitled to that distinction. It would be dif- 
ficult, indeed, to name any member of the family as to be 
preferred over all others without regard to conditions and 
the effects to be desired. This is, however, a choice form, 
as the truss is very large and the color without spot or 
blemish. 

But, though the white-flowering varieties are best 
known and most largely grown of any of the departures 
from the typical color, there are other shades equally beau- 



Syringa — Lilac. 



215 



tiful and useful in garden planting. There are those, too, 
of different times of blossoming, some earlier and others 




SYRINGA, UUDW1Q SPAETH. 

later, thus giving such as desire to extend the lilac season 
an opportunity to do so by at least a month's prolongation. 
Among these, attention may first be called to the variety 



216 Ornamental Shrubs. 

Charles X., which, so far as known, is a favorite with all 
planters. It grows from six to eight feet high and in good 
form. Under favorable conditions it is a vigorous grower 
with glossy foliage and large open trusses of reddish-purple 
blossoms. This sort has gained a popular favor as one 
of the most excellent of its class, a reputation which it well 
merits. Among others of about the same height, differing 
chiefly in the color of the blossom, may be named Ludwig 
Spaeth, dark reddish purple ; gloire de moulins, purple-rose ; 
Comte Horace de Choiseul, deep violet-red ; Prof. Sargent, 
red and violet ; pyramidalis, azure-rose ; rubra insignis, 
rosy purple ; Senateur Volland, rosy red ; Jean Bart, rosy 
crimson ; Van Houttei, red ; Jacques Calot, rosy pink ; and 
ccerulea superba, blue. This list might be almost indefi- 
nitely extended, though in most cases the difference would 
be found so slight that it might tend to confusion rather 
than profit. 

.S. persica — Persian lilac. — This was probably the 
second of the lilacs brought to America and accepted as 
one of the favorite plants for popular planting. It is a 
much smaller bush than 6 1 . vulgaris, usually growing but 
four to six feet high, with numerous slender branches, all 
of which are of service in the production of flowers. The 
leaves are small, lanceolate, holding their bright green 
color through the entire summer, so that the shrub is 
always attractive. The flowers are purple with a bluish 
cast, and very pretty. They appear in April and May, 
according to local conditions, and always make a fine show 
in the border or hedge as well as in groups or as single 
specimens. .S. /. alba is a variety with white blossoms, 



Syringa — Lilac. 



217 



and differing from the original in little else. 61 p. lacini- 
ata is a form with finely cut foliage, but, though inter- 
esting, is not especially to be preferred. The Persian 
lilacs are better suited to forcing under glass, for the pro- 
duction of cut flowers, than most others, and, thus grown, 
the blossoms are great favorites for the Christmas and 
Easter holidays. 

6". chinensis — Chinese lilac. — The nativity of this 




SYRINGA CHINENSIS. 



species, or as some call it, variety, is not certainly known, 
though it is believed to have come from China, and 
thought to be a possible hybrid between 6". vulgaris and 
.SI persica. So far as known, it is found in gardens only, 
and as a cultivated plant. In proportions it is inter- 
mediary between the two species named, and is found pos- 
sessing some of the special characteristics of each. It 
grows to a height of seven to eight feet, with a loose, 



218 Ornamental Shrubs. 

open head. The leaf is thick, ovate, and in early spring 
inclined to be glossy. The flowers appear in large open 
panicles and are of a reddish-purple or violet color some- 
what peculiar to the family. It is also known in the 
catalogues as 61 rothomagensis, though the identity of the 
two is not conceded by some authorities. However that 
may be, Garden and Forest, in one of its earliest issues, 
fixes its place in practical horticulture in pronouncing it 
"one of the hardiest and handsomest shrubs in cultiva- 
tion, producing its enormous clusters of flowers in the 
greatest profusion." 

6. oblata is also of Chinese origin, and is sometimes 
advertised as a new species in cultivation, but it is not 
such in any proper sense of the word. And yet, though 
not new, it is quite rare even in our best gardens. It was 
discovered by Mr. Fortune in a garden at Shanghai, and 
through him introduced many years ago to Europe, where 
it was welcomed as one of the best of its class in cultiva- 
tion. It is nowhere found growing wild, and so must be 
considered strictly a garden variety with an unknown 
parentage. In its general appearance it somewhat resem- 
bles 6". vulgaris, having broadly cordate and sharply pointed 
leaves, which hold on until late autumn, and often assume 
brilliant shades of color, constituting it at that season one 
of the most attractive objects in field or garden. The 
flowers are large and of a purple shade, somewhat differing 
from that of the common varieties, but not easily described. 
They appear ten or twelve days earlier than those of most 
of the species, before or with the expanding foliage, thus 
serving a good purpose in lengthening the season at the 



Syringa — Lilac. 219 

beginning. The species is reputed hardy and capable of 
doing good service in warmer latitudes than most others. 

S. villosa is another Chinese sort, having first been 
seen by a French missionary, about the middle of the last 
century, in the vicinity of Peking, and by him sent to 
his own country. This is also sometimes advertised as a 
new species, but it is so only in the sense of being rare 
in the section where it is sought to be distributed at that 
particular time. It has been known to horticulturists and 
to Old World gardens for more than a hundred years, and 
is another of the dwarf varieties, growing from four to six 
feet, and in a somewhat bushy shape. The plant carries 
large panicles of flowers which are light purple in the bud 
and when opening to the sunlight, but when fully ex- 
panded they become a creamy white. One of its excel- 
lences is found in the fact that it blossoms late in May, 
fully two weeks after most other sorts. The foliage is 
especially good, much resembling that of the well-known 
white fringe, thick, leathery, and glossy. 

6". japonica — Japan lilac. — This is one of the later 
introductions from that land of flowers which has done so 
much for our modern horticulture. It is one of the largest 
of all the lilacs, at times growing with but a single stem 
some twenty feet high, and producing a spreading and 
well formed head. Because of this peculiarity it has 
come to be popularly known as the tree lilac, a designation 
not at all misapplied. The leaves are large, ovate, sharp- 
pointed, smooth above, and slightly pubescent beneath. 
The flower clusters are also of unusual size, in immense 
trusses of pure or slightly creamy white, but without fra- 



220 Ornamental Shrubs. 

grance. They do not break forth until near the first of 
July, thus adding from two to four weeks to the season 
when these beautiful plants are in bloom. Established 
singly on the lawn or in the field, this, all things consid- 
ered, is the most striking and showy of the whole family. 
It is of fairly rapid growth, but should be given a good, 
rich soil to make sure of best results. So far as observa- 
tion in this country has gone, it steadily improves with 
age, thus affording promise of long-continued usefulness 
as one of our best large ornamental shrubs. 

S. josikcea. — The discovery of this species was made 
by the Baroness Josika on the banks of a rocky river in 
Transylvania, and so it took that lady's name. It was at 
one time supposed to have been a mere garden variety, 
but later information is to the effect that the home of 
the species is in the depths of a Hungarian forest far away 
from the haunts of man, where it is said that " for miles 
and miles where S. josikcea grows neither a house nor 
a hut is to be seen." And even there it was not freely 
distributed, and must have been of comparatively recent 
origin or else has been exceedingly non-aggressive in its 
character. At its best, it grows about five to seven 
feet high, and has bluish-purple flowers in comparatively 
small panicles, blossoming in May among the earliest 
of its class. The foliage is large, slightly wrinkled, very 
bright green, and almost glossy on the upper surface 
while quite light on the under side. The botanists are 
not quite agreed whether this is an independent species or 
a slightly varying form of 6". emodz, a member of the family 
longer known, and which came from the Emodus moun- 



Syringa — Lilac. 2 2 1 

tain of the Himalayan range, from which it takes its name. 
It is thought, also, to be confounded with kS. villosa, and 
for equally good reasons. These may be important ques- 
tions for the consideration of the scientists, but to the 
practical horticulturist it is enough to know that the 
three so closely resemble each other as to size, habits 
of growth, and similitude of flower, that there is little 
or no choice between them. Each is a good garden 
plant and especially adapted to small grounds where 
larger growths might prove out of place. 

Within a few years, a new race of lilacs has been 
brought to the attention of the public through the well- 
directed efforts of certain botanists and horticulturists, 
especially of M. Lemoine of Nancy, France, whose name 
had already become well known as a scientist of no mean 
repute. This gentleman, having entered upon a thorough 
process of crossing and hybridization in this direction, 
has succeeded in bringing out a class of these shrubs 
which, while retaining most of the better features of the 
genus, are still a great improvement upon the original 
forms. These have been given to the public, and have 
added much to the interest and pleasure of lilac cultiva- 
tion throughout the world. Already the series of hy- 
brids and crosses have been widely distributed, and 
specimens are to be found in many of our best gardens. 
As this method of production is continued from year to 
year, other new forms are constantly appearing, though 
most of the later sorts so nearly resemble some of those 
previously sent out that the limit has been nearly 
reached. The following are among the best of the recent 



222 Ornamental Shrubs. 

productions having double flowers : what is known as 
61 lemoinei, named in honor of the originator, is not only 
one of the earliest of these new creations but also one 
of the best. It grows six or seven feet, with foliage 
resembling that of S. vulgaris, and has clusters of flowers 
eight or nine inches long, of reddish-purple color, distinctly 
shaded. The individual blossoms constituting the thyrse 
are double, quite large, fragrant, and so compacted as to 
show to the best advantage. That known as President 
Gre'vy has still larger panicles, measuring from ten to 
twelve inches, which are made up of individual flowers 
very double, three quarters of an inch across, purple, and 
with perhaps the deepest shade of blue extending over the 
whole that is to be seen in the lilac family. Pyramidalis, 
as its name indicates, appears in upright pyramidal form, 
with an abundance of rose-tinted purple blossoms which 
are carmine in the bud, and especially valuable for forming 
contrasts. Lamarck is an excellent variety with very large 
clusters, rosy lilac, and one of the most valuable of the 
entire group. Michael Buchner is a veritable dwarf of 
but three to four feet, but produces large panicles, which 
stand erect on the bush and are very showy in color, pale 
lilac. 

Marie Legrange is one of the best dwarf varieties, and 
is well suited to growing in pots and to moderate forcing 
under glass. It grows freely, sending out numerous slen- 
der branches, all of which are crowded with blooms, giving 
it somewhat the appearance of a huge bouquet. These 
flowers are of the purest white, of good size, and borne in 
large trusses. Such a plant makes a fine show in mid- 



224 Ornamental Shrubs. 

winter, at Christmas, or at Easter, and can easily be in its 
perfection at either date. Leon Simon is of all the numer- 
ous double-flowering sorts one of the very best. The 
flower clusters are compact, with petals slightly incurved, 
and of a light purple shade, quite distinct in that respect. 
The individual blooms are of somewhat unusual propor- 
tions, and, gathered in the truss, constitute a long and 
characteristic bunch of the fairest proportions. This 
variety grows to a medium size and blooms in the height 
of the lilac season. Alp /ions e Lavalle is another of the 
dwarf forms, with double flowers of the old-fashioned lilac 
color, and in large and dense spikes. It, too, makes an 
excellent pot plant, and is well suited to forcing. 

BACCHARIS— Halimifolia. 

THE baccharis, sometimes known as the groundsel 
tree, is especially adapted for planting at the 
water's edge. It is grown freely in salt marshes, 
and is valuable to planters by the seashore ; and as we 
have so few plants that will endure in such locations, it is 
often especially useful. It is a tall, resinous or glutinous 
shrub, growing sometimes to a height of ten or twelve 
feet, but usually smaller. It has dark green, abundant 
foliage, and small heads of white or yellow blossoms. 
These are not large, or very showy, but they are 
produced in such leafy panicles at the end of the branches 
that the plant makes a good appearance late in the season. 
This is especially the case with the fertile one, for in bac- 
charis the male and female flowers are borne on distinct 
plants. The tufts of long, pure white hairs give to the 



Andromeda. 



225 



females an entirely different appearance from that of the 
yellow-flowered males. The baccharis is seldom seen 
except at or near sea-beaches, but when once known in 
garden cultivation it will no doubt become more common. 




FRINGE TREE (CHIONANTHUS VIRGINICA). See page 239. 

ANDROMEDA. 

TO the popular mind the name andromeda covers a 
large number of choice plants now distributed 
through a wider classification. According to 
most of the trade catalogues, it has been made to include 
a group of small shrubs which, though closely related, are 
now assigned to other genera, and given a distinct place 
in botanical lore. For sake of accuracy the newer and 
stricter classification will here be recognized and applied, 
while keeping in mind the popular conception sufficiently 
to prevent confusion on the part of such as have been 



226 Ornamental Shrubs. 

familiar with the discarded name, and might be at a loss 
to recognize old favorites under the rearrangement of 
titles. No more interesting and useful plants for orna- 
mental purposes than those here described can be found, 
and they will prove as meritorious under the new titles as 
under the old. 

The name andromeda was first applied by Linnaeus to 
a small semi-aquatic plant of the order Ericacece, discovered 
on one of his exploring tours in the North, and the great 
naturalist was seldom more enthusiastic in his praise of 
plant or flower than when he wrote of the water andromeda, 
and described it in his Tour of Lapland. " The flowers 
are quite blood-red before they expand, but when fully 
grown the corolla is of flesh color. Scarcely any painter's 
art can so happily imitate the beauty of a fine female com- 
plexion ; still less could any artificial color on the face itself 
bear comparison with the lovely blossom. As I looked 
upon it I could not help thinking of Andromeda as 
described by the poets, and the more I meditated on their 
descriptions the more applicable they seemed to the little 
plant before me, so that if these writers had it in view 
they could scarcely have contrived a more apposite fable. 
This plant is always fixed in some turfy hillock in the 
midst of swamps, as Andromeda herself was chained to a 
rock in the sea which bathed her feet as the fresh water 
does the root of this plant." 

A. polifolia, the species so poetically described by the 
flower-lover, is indigenous to America as well as to northern 
Europe, where it is often called wild rosemary. It is 
found in wet, boggy land alike in New Jersey and Min- 



Pieris. 227 

nesota, and even farther north. It is not often that 
specimens of more than twelve to fifteen inches in height 
are seen, and on drier land they are even less high. The 
foliage is composed of linear, sharp-pointed leaves, entire, 
and with somewhat revolute edges. The midrib is promi- 
nent, and the veins reticulated. The flowers are mostly- 
white, and tinted with pink and sometimes tipped with 
red. There are several varieties, differing chiefly in the 
color of the blossoms, but all possessing the same general 
characteristics. 

The wild rosemary is the true andromeda. The pieris, 
cassandra, zenobia, and leucothoe, members of the popu- 
larly called "andromeda group," are now described under 
their own heads. 

PIERIS. 

ALL the members of the " andromeda family" bear 
classic names, and this title was conferred in 
honor of Pieria, the town in Thessaly where the 
Muses were supposed to congregate and pass much of 
their time. Not more than ten or twelve species are 
included in the classification, and it is not easy to deter- 
mine the number known to the literature of mythology. 
The pieris is now distributed over portions of China, the 
Malay Islands, Japan, and North America, and includes 
some of the most interesting plants known to horticul- 
ture. Nearly all are hardy, and while especially adapted 
to cultivation in the middle sections of the United States, 
they can be grown in New England and many parts of 
the Northwest. 



22; 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



P. mariana, the stagger bush, is a small species from 
two to four feet high, and is capable of good service in 
enlivening the border or brightening the lawn in the early 
season when so few hardy shrubs are in flower. It is a 
native American, with mostly glabrous, oval leaves two to 




PIERIS MARIANA. 



three inches long, and graceful, nodding, white flowers 
borne on terminal, naked stems and branches in April and 
early May. It grows wild in wet or low grounds from 
New England to Florida, and westward to Texas and 
Arkansas, and may be considered hardy throughout the 
whole country. Its foliage is believed by the farmers to 



Pieris. 



229 



possess poisonous qualities that are fatal to lambs and 
young calves, but it is doubtful if this is the case. P. 
ligustrina is another of the early bloomers, and grows five 
to ten feet high, and with a well-proportioned and compact 
head. The foliage is oblong-lanceolate, somewhat pubes- 
cent, and in panicles. The flowers are in small but 
numerous bunches, and cover the bush slightly in advance 
of the others. There is a southern variety still more 
pubescent, but it is not known to be hardy in the North- 
ern States, or to be superior to the original. 

P. floribunda. — No one should think of planting any 
considerable number of ornamental shrubs without includ- 
ing this charming plant in the list. It belongs to the 
class whose foliage continues throughout the winter, and 
is handsome all the year. It grows from four to six feet 
in height, and nearly always in a well-rounded and com- 
pact form. The branches and branchlets ordinarily spring 
from the ground, and, being numerous, the foliage is so 
dense that they are almost concealed from the eye. The 
flower buds, which are formed the previous autumn, 
occupy a prominent position above the evergreen foliage, 
and are largely proof against wind and cold. Like most 
others of this family, the flowers are white, and closely 
resemble the lily of the valley, hanging in pendent and 
much-branched racemes. While very desirable for out-of- 
door cultivation, this variety is also recommended for 
growing under glass when the flowers are wanted out 
of season, especially for Christmas and Easter holidays. 

P.japonica, though a native of the distant East, is a 
near relative of the preceding, and with numerous close 



230 Ornamental Shrubs. 

affinities. It, too, has rich glossy leaves which remain 
through the winter. They are from one to two inches 
long, and taper to a point at both ends, and are of such a 
striking character as to attract attention at all seasons. In 
the spring the new leaves are bright pink or red, and 
when seen at a little distance make the bush present the 




PIERIS FLORIBUNDA. 



appearance of one already in flower. This tint gradually 
changes to a light green, and later to the normal color 
which is much darker, and continues all the year. The 
waxy-white flowers are in long racemes, and borne in pro- 
fusion so that in April or early in May the upper part of 
the plant is almost completely covered. In some respects 
this species is to be preferred to the floribunda, but a 



Cassandra. 231 

group of either planted in a bed or border edged with 
lower forms, such as heaths and azaleas, can be scarcely 
excelled in beauty. There is a variegated form with 
leaves deeply and irregularly marked with creamy-white. 
This combination of colors with the bright red of the 
early-growing leaves, and the glossy green of the mature 
foliage from the previous season, taken with the sheets of 
white blossoms, make some of the most remarkable group- 
ings to be found in our parks and gardens. P. formosa 
is a Himalayan plant resembling the Japanese very closely. 
It is a beautiful bush clothed with broadly-lanceolate, 
evergreen leaves of a deep tint. The flowers are porce- 
lain white and disposed in terminal, branching clusters. 
The buds of the pieris practically mature the previous 
year, and hold themselves in readiness to proceed with the 
utmost promptitude on the approach of spring to improve 
their opportunities. But were there no flowers it would 
still be one of the best foliage plants that we have, even 
surpassing the rhododendron in the bright glossiness of its 
leaves and in its general appearance. It is probably 
hardier than the rhododendron. 

CASSANDRA. 

THE cassandras, also popularly classed as androme- 
das, constitute a small genus of plants desirable 
in cultivation, and steadily coming into more 
general use. The name is in memory of the fabled 
daughter of Priam and Hecuba. There is probably but 
one species, C. calyculata, and but one or two varieties 
calling for attention in this direction. The typical plant 



232 Ornamental Shrubs. 

is a native of the United States, ranging from the Caro- 
linas to New England, though ordinarily not very freely 
distributed. It is everywhere a low and much-branched 
shrub with elliptic-oblong foliage, smooth above, but of a 
rusty brown beneath, thick and almost leathery, retaining 
its vitality late in the season, becoming in the South al- 
most an evergreen. The flowers, which come out in April 
or May, are pure white, on short pedicels, oblong-cylin- 
drical, and always attractive. They mostly spring from 
the axils of the leaves and are borne in one-sided racemes 
that cover almost the entire bush. It grows but from one 
to three feet high, and for best effects should be planted 
in groups or in connection with other shrubs. 

C. angustifolia is sometimes referred to as a distinct 
species, but may be more properly described as a variety 
which is in some respects an improvement on the original 
form. It has longer and more narrow foliage, and slightly 
varies from the type in the shape and disposition of the 
blossoms. These last are in recurved racemes of the 
purest white, with an oblong-ovate corolla slightly con- 
tracted at the mouth. They, too, are on short flower 
stems, and borne at the ends of the branches, appearing 
in April. C. crispa is one of its synonyms, though some- 
times catalogued as a distinct form. 

ZENOBIA. 

THIS is a monotypic genus of the Ericacecz and, 
though a beautiful plant, is not so widely dis- 
tributed as its merits would justify. It was named 
after the famous Empress of Palmyra who lived in the 



Leucothoe. 233 

third century, and in her honor, having been even then 
brought into cultivation and won distinction. It is a 
small, well-shaped shrub of from three to five feet in 
height, and sufficiently hardy to endure our ordinary 
winters. It prefers a mixture of sand and peat, and in 
general cultivation should receive much the same treat- 
ment as the rhododendron or hardy azalea. 

Z. speciosa. — This is a dense-growing shrub with foliage 
of pale green, slightly rounded, and holding its color well 
through the season. The flowers are small, bell-shaped, 
pure white, and of wax-like texture, borne in profusion in 
midsummer, and covering the entire bush. The shrub 
continues in bloom a long time, and is always pretty. As 
growing among the heaths, azaleas, rhododendrons, and 
other small plants it appears to especial advantage, and 
serves a useful purpose in lengthening out the flowering 
season. Z. pulverulenta, or Andromeda dealbata, is a 
variety that is prized by many even above the original. 
It, too, flowers long in succession, and in July and August, 
when most plants of the " andromeda group " are out of 
bloom. It requires much the same treatment in the garden 
as does the azalea, but is even more in need of water 
during the dry season if the best results are to be had the 
following summer. 

LEUCOTHOE. 

THIS genus of Ericacece is named after the sea god- 
dess, and contains about eight species which are 
closely related to the andromeda. The leucothoes 
are all small, hardy shrubs indigenous to North America, 
and preferring moist, peaty soils and a temperate climate. 



234 Ornamental Shrubs. 

They are deciduous, with alternate, oblong, or lanceolate , 
leaves holding on late in autumn, and in warm climates 
well into the winter, becoming almost, if not quite, ever- 
green. The flowers are generally white, though occasion- 
ally tinted with pink or rose. They are desirable plants 
for masses, in borders, or as single specimens. 

L. racemosa is one of the best-known of the group, 
and is probably the largest, and, all things considered, 
one of the most desirable. It is a native of the Southern 
States, growing as far south as Florida and Texas, where 
it produces elegant white flowers in April and May. They 
are in long racemes, waxy in appearance, and very fra- 
grant. The bark on the young branches, which are mostly 
erect, is bright red, and in marked contrast to the rich 
green and glossy, oval, lance-shaped foliage. The bush 
grows from four to ten feet in height, and is hardy in the 
North, though the flowers are sometimes injured where 
late frosts are common. 

L. catesbcei is a plant from two to four feet in height, 
with ovate-lanceolate leaves, serrulate, and borne on long, 
slender petioles. Its flowers are pure white and beautiful, 
but with what is to most people a rather unpleasant odor, 
which is slightly offensive when one comes in contact with 
the shrub in blossom, and sometimes when in its imme- 
diate vicinity. But at a little distance this is not perceptible, 
and its general appearance is so good that this draw- 
back should not altogether preclude its cultivation. L. 
acuminata is a species with snow-white blossoms in great 
profusion. They are in very short but numerous axillary 
racemes, the corolla being cylindrical, ovate, and drooping. 







< 




_l 




I 




g 


mm 


i 






, 


< 




o 

2 




< 


•::''".' 


o 



,1 > ,; .. .- 

-•.■• 




236 Ornamental Shrubs. 

The leaves are ovate-lanceolate, gradually narrowing at 
the top, entire, serrulate, glabrous, coriaceous, and glossy. 
This is adapted to general cultivation in all parts of the 
country. L. axillaris takes its name from the fact that 
the flowers spring from the axils of the upper leaves or 
small branches, though this is scarcely a peculiarity of the 
family. They are white and much admired, especially as 
they appear very early, with their ovate, cylindrical corolla 
beset with scaly bracts. The foliage is oval, pointed, and 
marked with glandular hairs beneath, while the young 
branches are clothed with powdery down. The plant 
rises from two to three feet in height and usually blooms 
in May. L. davisice is a California species not much 
known in the Atlantic States. It is said to be one of the 
best of the class, having the usual recurved, white, pendu- 
lous flowers, and good foliage. Its hardiness has scarcely 
been sufficiently tested to justify promiscuous planting in 
the extreme north of our Atlantic slope. L. recurva is 
also a dwarf species, with little to especially recommend 
it unless a small plant of the kind is wanted for borders 
and rockwork. The flowers are good, of the typical color, 
and the branches more spreading than in most of the 

other forms. 

ALNUS— Alder. 

THE alders, a genus of Betulacece, grow chiefly in 
moist places and along the banks of brooks and 
streams, but all the members of the family can be 
transplanted without difficulty, and maintained in almost 
any reasonably good soil. The family embraces about 
a dozen species, six of which are natives of North Amer- 



Alnus — Alder. 237 

ica. These appear in the middle and northern portions of 
the United States and Canada, but seldom or never within 
or near the tropics. They constitute an interesting group 
of small trees or tall shrubs, though attracting compara- 
tively little attention. When growing along the edges of 
streams they often do a valuable service in protecting 
the banks from washing by floods or being carried away 
by constant attrition. They are said to be largely planted 
for this purpose on the dykes and banks of canals in Holland 
and other low countries where such protection is needed. 
They are all the better adapted to this use from the fact 
that the roots do not extend far, but grow in a compact 
and knotted mass, throwing up a multitude of suckers 
near the original stem. 

The wood is orange-yellow, soft, but exceedingly dur- 
able under water, and in Europe, whenever of sufficient 
size, is in demand for spikes and posts. It furnishes excel- 
lent charcoal for the manufacture of gunpowder, for which 
it has long been employed. The bark is in use for tan- 
ning and dyeing, and produces a reddish color if used 
alone, and with the addition of copperas, a jet black. 
The flowers are in terminal, imbricated clusters, the male 
and female in separate catkins on the same branch ; the 
fertile ones being hard and compact, while the others are 
loose and open, both hanging long on the branches. The 
leaves are ovate, slightly lobed, with a blunt point at the 
extremity, and are smooth and somewhat glossy, often 
with white dots or scales. The flowers appear early, the 
anient having been formed in autumn, and so far advanced 
as to be in readiness for the first warm breath of spring. 



238 Ornamental Shrubs. 

A. glutinosa, commonly known as the European or 
black alder, is a native of northern Europe, Asia, and 
America. It is one of the most widely known as well as 
the largest and best of the family, often becoming a 
medium-sized tree. It has somewhat wedge-shaped leaves 
lobed at the margin, and almost black bark, especially 
when mature. The wood is of an orange color, and was 
formerly esteemed for the production of charcoal, and for 
use in the manufacture of small articles, as it is fine-grained 
and very hard. An authority of fifty years ago wrote : 
" It is one of the ornaments of many of the most exquisite 
landscapes of England. The dark green of its foliage, 
and the still darker hue of its bark contrast beautifully 
with the colors of other trees with which it is usually asso- 
ciated on the banks of our rivers." Within a few years a 
variety known as the cut-leaved alder, A. g. imperialis 
lacinzata, has come into quite general cultivation, and 
is of deserved popularity among all who have become 
acquainted with its excellences. Like its type it makes 
a finely shaped, pyramidal tree with compact foliage and 
of somewhat rapid growth. The leaves are finely, not to 
say curiously, divided. It will thrive almost equally well 
in low, damp soils or on the hillsides in dry land. The 
species known as A. cordifolia is another of the larger 
sorts. It is a native of Italy, has very dark green and 
glossy foliage, and is said to grow rapidly in dry soils, and 
to be one of the most interesting of ornamental trees. 

The smooth alder, A. serrulata, is also valuable for 
grouping, for, though it is seldom beautiful by itself, it 
helps wonderfully by its rich coloring in producing the 



Chionanthus — Fringe Tree. 239 

best effects on the lawn when placed in proper positions 
and intermingled with other varieties. In the South, it 
sometimes makes a tree thirty feet high, but farther north 
it is usually much smaller, and has a tendency to grow in 
clumps or thickets. 

The speckled alder, A. mcana, grows freely in New 
England. The younger shoots are brown and downy, 
and dotted with orange. As they advance in age, the 
bark turns to a bottle-green, and the dots become almost 
white. The leaves are large, oval, rounded at the base, 
much the same as those of the other kinds, but are slightly 
more serrate, being toothed at the termini of the principal 
veins. They are four to five inches in length, and three 
to four in width, standing on short, stubby footstalks. 

The green or mountain alder, A. viridis, is a shrub of 
but three to eight feet in height. The leaves are round, 
ovate, sometimes downy on the under side, and sharply 
toothed. It prefers mountainous regions, and seldom suf- 
fers from the cold. Like most of the others it withstands 
high winds, and affords excellent protection for more 
tender sorts. 

CHIONANTHUS— Fringe Tree. 

THIS is a small genus of low, spreading trees, of the 
order Oleacece, which should rank among the 
hardy plants. The botanical name is derived 
from ckion, the Greek for snow, and anthos, flower ; and 
it is applied very fittingly because of the peculiar inflores- 
cence which elsewhere has scarcely a parallel in nature. 
The best-known and most valuable species, C. virginica, 



240 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



is a native of Virginia and the Carolinas, and perhaps of 
other Southern States, but it proves hardy in cultivation 
as far north as New England and Minnesota, though in 
these extreme limits of cold it may always be well to give 
it as favorable a position as possible. The London Garden 
pronounces it perfectly hardy in England where it flowers 
with great freedom in May. It has also been introduced 
to the continental gardens and parks, and is noted as one 
of the curiosities of horticulture. " As an ornamental 
plant," says Professor Sargent, " the American fringe tree 
has much to recommend it ; it is possessed of a vigorous 
constitution which enables it to flourish in regions of much 
more severe climates than that of its native home ; its 

leaves are large, abundant, 
and excellent in color ; it 
is not disfigured by insects 
or fungous diseases, and 
in May and June it is cov- 
ered with long, drooping 
panicles of delicate flowers 
with elongated, narrow, 
nearly thread-like pure 
white petals." 

The striking peculiari- 
ties of this shrub were 
observed and commented 
upon by the botanists who 
visited this continent during the early periods of its settle- 
ment, and found much that was new and at the same time 
worthy of admiration. Nor did it escape the notice of our 




CHIONANTHUS VIRQINICA. 



Chionanthus — Fringe Tree. 241 

own people who were interested in the study of the forests 
and fields. As long ago as 1785 the distinguished Hum- 
phrey Marshall, a botanist as well as a statesman and jurist, 
wrote concerning it : " This shrub grows naturally in sev- 
eral places in North America, in a moist soil ; rising 
to the height of fifteen to twenty feet, spreading into 
many branches, and covered with a light-colored bark. 
The leaves are large, oblong, and entire, placed nearly 
opposite. The flowers are produced towards the extremity 
of the shoots of the previous year, upon short, leafy, com- 
mon footstalks, at the bottom of the leaves of which the 
proper footstalks come out ; and are divided for the most 
part into three parts, but often more ; each sustaining one 
small flower with four very long, narrow petals, which, 
when well grown, make a beautiful appearance. These 
are succeeded by oval berries of a livid blackish color 
when ripe, each containing one hard, oblong, pointed seed. 
The bark of the root of this shrub, bruised and applied to 
fresh wounds, is accounted by the natives a specific in 
healing them without suppuration." 

About the only criticism that has been noted on this 
remarkable plant is based upon the fact that its leaves do 
not appear until so late in spring as to unfit it for artistic 
grouping with other sorts, since its branches are bare and 
apparently dead while everything about it is clothed with 
verdure. For this reason it may be objectionable where 
especial effects are sought for that particular period, and 
this should be considered in planting. But, though late 
in coming, the foliage when fully expanded is all that can 

be desired. The leaves are deep green and glossy, large 

16 



242 Ornamental Shrubs. 

and coriaceous, and it may well be doubted if, taking 
the whole summer through, anything will be found of 
superior excellence. And even the slight drawback will 
not apply when the tree appears in the plantation bor- 
der or as a single specimen, for which it has peculiar 
adaptations. 

It is not certain that more than one other species of 
the chionanthus exists, and that is a native of southern 
China and possibly of Japan, and is confessedly of less 
value than our native tree. C. retusa, for that is its name, 
is not only inferior in size, but has smaller leaves and 
shorter and less attractive panicles of flowers. It is in 
cultivation to some extent in Old World gardens, and is 
worthy of recognition, though not a worthy competitor on 
the score of merit. 

LONICERA— Bush Honeysuckle. 

THE loniceras are among the most useful of hardy 
ornamental plants known to cultivation. The 
genus includes a number of choice vines and 
climbers as well as shrubs, mostly natives of the north 
temperate zone — few or none being found within the 
tropics. But with this limitation southward, their range 
extends in the opposite direction well on towards the 
arctic circle. Some of the species are indigenous to Si- 
beria, northern Russia, Labrador, and the region about 
Hudson's Bay in North America, and there is scarcely any 
place where it is desirable to plant them, however inhos- 
pitable, where they may not be expected to grow. They 
constitute a genus of Caprifoliacece, and the section known 



Lonicera — Bush Honeysuckle. 243 

as bush honeysuckles, such as here described, are pretty 
well represented in our gardens, though some equally good 
varieties, and perhaps better, have not as yet been brought 
to the notice of the general public. 

There are several American species, mostly small 
shrubs, which, though not so showy in fruit or flower as 
some of the foreign sorts, are worthy of more general 
recognition than they have yet received. Professor Gray, 
in his Manual of Botany, describes four of these bush 
honeysuckles as natives of the North, and capable of doing 
good service in many situations where especially hardy 
plants are called for. These are L. ciliata, a bush of 
from three to five feet high, which grows with spreading 
branches, oblong or heart-shaped leaves, and has greenish- 
yellow flowers in May. These are followed by red berries 
which continue long on the branches, and constitute it 
a really attractive plant for horticultural use in appro- 
priate situations. It is a native of dense and rocky woods 
from New Brunswick to Manitoba and still farther north- 
ward. Another is L. cczrulea, a smaller plant about two 
feet in height, having upright stems and branches, oval 
leaves downy when young but becoming glabrous later on, 
and producing yellow blossoms in great abundance, also 
in early spring. Its range is given as from Labrador to 
Minnesota, and southward to Rhode Island. In this case 
the fruit is purple and equally persistent. L invohtcrata 
has oval or oblong foliage, yellow blossoms tinged with 
red, and dark purple fruit. It makes its home in the deep 
woods bordering Lake Superior and beyond. L. oblongi- 
folia is a native of bogs and swamps of the same inhos- 



244 Ornamental Shrubs. 

pitable region. Its leaves are two to five inches long, and 
sharp-pointed. The flowers are yellow and somewhat 
viscid, while the fruit is dark purple and enduring. 

Of the imported species, the Tartarian honeysuckle, 
L. tartarica, is best known and most largely planted in 
this country. It is an erect, deciduous shrub usually five 
to six feet high, composed of a cluster of slender stems 
and branches which may increase in number with each 
season's growth. The foliage is oblong-cordate, of rather 
dull green, and in no way remarkable. The flowers ap- 
pear in April and May, and are both abundant and beau- 
tiful, the yellow petals being somewhat thickened at the 
base, and rose-tinted. But it is the fruit that affords the 
chief attraction. This is ripened in July and August, and 
remains until late autumn. It is in the form of berries, in 
most cases nearly black, but in some bright cherry-red, 
and in others orange. These differences are not of a 
character to constitute distinct varieties, though doubtless 
by proper cultivation they might be extended and become 
fixed and permanent. These berries look as if they might 
tempt the palate, but they are found on trial to be inedible 
and even nauseous. It may be that for this reason the 
birds allow them to hano- so longr without interference on 
their part, and they remain to enliven the bush and give 
color to the warden until frost. There are several recos- 
nized varieties, differing chiefly in the color of the fruit, 
and not needing to be described separately. It is said 
that in Russia the horticulturists have been experimenting 
with them for many years, and have brought out some 
greatly improved forms, but they have not been given to 



246 Ornamental Shrubs. 

the general public. The species, and, so far as known, all 
the varieties, are perfectly hardy. 

L. fragrantissima has large white or pink blossoms 
nearly an inch across, which come out before the foliage is 
fully developed, and are exceedingly fragrant. It is a strong- 
growing and somewhat straggling bush of five to six feet. 
It came from China, and is one of the best for ordinary gar- 
den planting. The leaves are so persistent that it is some- 
times classed as an evergreen, and in warmer climates its 
flowers are often borne in February and March. L. stand- 
is hii differs but little from it except that the fruit is red. 

L. hildebrandiana comes from Burma, and is the 
largest of known species, and altogether the most remark- 
able. It is an evergreen in the land of its nativity, but 
does not altogether prove such in less genial climates. 
General Collet, the discoverer, spoke of it as a conspic- 
uous shrub with large, glossy leaves, and fine, crimson 
flowers seven inches long, and the experiments at the Kew 
Gardens appear to substantiate the claim of superiority. 
It is said to be much used in decorating the temples of its 
native country, and is looked upon there almost with 
veneration. It is not freely distributed here as yet, and 
can scarcely be found except in the hands of experts or in 
connection with public institutions. 

L. morrowii is a vigorous shrub of from four to six 
feet in height, with spreading branches, and in July abun- 
dant yellow blossoms, followed by clusters of showy 
crimson fruit which is very persistent, making a fine show 
in the garden. One of its varieties, L. frutea, bears 
bright yellow berries, and is much showier than the origi- 



Prunus — Flowering Cherry. 247 

nal. L. hispida is somewhat pendulous, and has greenish- 
white flowers with purple fruit. It grows from two to 
three feet, and is a native of Siberia and south to central 
Asia. L. mackii reaches ten to fifteen feet in height, and 
is a much-spreading plant, making a large bush. The 
flowers are white, axillary, with a funnel-shaped tube. 
The leaves are ovate-elliptic, acuminate, rounded at the 
base, and of good color and substance. L. xylosteum is 
quite distinct in its foliage, grows about five feet high, and 
has pinkish-yellow blossoms in May before the leaves ap- 
pear. They are cream-colored, fragrant, and very pretty. 
The fruit is crimson and of long continuance. 

L. alberta, known popularly as the Siberian honey- 
suckle, is a dwarf about two feet high, and has special 
claims to attention where a plant of the size is desired. 
The slender branches have a drooping tendency, falling 
on every side, and are clothed with very narrow leaves 
two inches long and of a bluish shade. The blossoms, 
unlike most of the other species, appear in July and 
August, and, from a floral standpoint, the bush is at its 
best at a season of the year when flowers are scarce. 
They are also much larger than on most other honey- 
suckles, and deliciously fragrant. The color is a pinkish- 
purple and very effective. 

PRUNUS— Flowering Cherry. 

IN the popular mind, the cherries are ranked among 
fruit trees rather than among the ornamental trees. 
They belong to the order Rosacea and to the genus 
prunus, and by some have been assigned to a sub-genus, 



248 Ornamental Shrubs. 

cerasus, under which they are generally catalogued by the 
nurserymen. The best authorities are now disposed to 
drop the latter name altogether, and, though the change 
may lead to some confusion for a time, it is so evidently in 
the line of correct definitions that it should be accepted by 
all interested. 

The cherries are mostly natives of the north temperate 
zone, but are not altogether unknown in the tropics. 
They are mostly small trees, though some are large enough 
to be valuable for timber, and others are mere shrubs and 
bushes. Most of them are sufficiently hardy for ordinary 
horticultural purposes throughout the United States. In 
nearly all the species the flowers are white, single, and are 
borne in early spring. They are mostly in umbels, spring- 
ing from scaly buds often in advance of the appearance of 
the foliage. In some of the varieties, especially in the 
more recently introduced Asiatic forms, the flowers are 
found to be double, and rose-colored or pink. It is 
largely through these varieties that the genus becomes 
valuable for ornamental planting. A few of these have 
been known for many years, but have not been sufficiently 
distributed to afford an opportunity to the general public 
to appreciate their value. All cherry blossoms are beau- 
tiful, and these later improvements are especially so. 

One of the oldest species in use in this country is what 
is known as the bird cherry, P. padus, which is a native of 
Europe and Asia, growing to a height of twenty feet, of 
large spreading habit, and clothed in May with a great 
abundance of white, single flowers. These are followed 
by black berries ripening in autumn, and to some extent 



Prunus — Flowering Cherry. 



249 



in use for domestic purposes. Whether in flower or fruit, 
this variety is always ornamental, and may be largely 
planted to advantage. It can also be grown in bush form 
as it often is where a smaller form is desired. P. pennsyl- 
vanica is the American wild red cherry, and more nearly 
resembles the European species than any other of our native 
sorts. It is especially 
noted for its reddish 
bark, and the red fruit 
which is very promi- 
nent in autumn. The 
flowers are white, and 
so numerous as to 
completely cover the Q 




tree, but do not con- (^ 
tinue very long in 
their perfection. It 
is distributed in New- 
foundland, and the 
Hudson's Bay region, 
and throughout the 
Northwest, and was 
introduced to Eng- 
lish gardens as early as 1773, where it is still in use as 
well as on the continent. P. serotina is another American 
species of about the same height, and is a well-known 
wild cherry, having white flowers in May and black fruit in 
August. P. virginiana, commonly known as the Ameri- 
can choke-cherry, is very much like the European bird 
cherry in its general character, though not so tall a 



DOUBLE-FLOWERINQ CHERRY. 



250 Ornamental Shrubs. 

grower. It makes a good show in the border. P. avium 
alba plena is one of the interesting varieties which differs 
from the established type in producing double flowers that 
are pure white, very large, and so numerous as to cover 
almost the entire branches in May before the foliage has 
become fully developed. It rises from twenty to twenty- 
five feet in height, with a somewhat spreading head, and 
in good form. P. pumila pendula is a unique form, and 
makes a twiggy growth, and when rightly cultivated con- 
stitutes an attractive shrub the season through. It grows 
from six to eight feet high, and the numerous white 
flowers are followed by bright red, acid fruit. For use to 
the best advantage it should be grafted on taller stems 
than are natural to it, when its branches fall gracefully but 
not to the ground. 

P. sinensis flora plena. — This is one of the finest double- 
flowering cherries known. The. tree is a native of China, 
and grows to a height of from twenty to twenty-five feet 
in good form, and is noted for its large white flowers, re- 
sembling miniature roses, wdiich appear in great numbers 
along the stems and branches. This was the first of the 
Asiatic double-flowering species brought to this country, 
and so has been in cultivation here longer than the 
others. It proves reasonably hardy, though not an 
especially long-lived tree. P. ranunculiflora is another 
upright-growing cherry, having double white flowers 
which appear later in the season than most of the others 
of its class. It rises from fifteen to twenty feet. 

But perhaps the finest ornamental cherries of all come 
from Japan. Some have already been introduced, though 



Prunus — Flowering Cherry. 



251 



sparingly, in our gardens, where they command universal 
admiration. No people in the world take such interest in 
cherry culture as do the Japanese. The bursting of the 
cherry blossoms fills the souls of the people with delight, 
for of all flowers these are by them esteemed the most 
beautiful. They celebrate the occasion with great enthu- 




CHINESE DOUBLE-FLOWERING CHERRY. 



siasm, and give themselves up fully to the enjoyment of 
the beauties of nature. Professor C. C. Georgesen, a 
gentleman familiar with Japanese customs, and who had 
been present and participated in these festivities on more 
than one occasion, wrote some years ago in one of our 
magazines as follows : 

" All classes of society, from the Emperor to the coolie, 



252 Ornamental Shrubs. 

rich and poor, old and young, all are enthusiastic ad- 
mirers of the cherry flowers. The trees are planted in 
groups in the parks, in temple groves, in avenues lining 
many of the principal streets and roads, singly and in 
clusters in the gardens and yards about dwellings ; they 
are dwarfed and grown in pots of all sizes, and trained in 
many forms and with pendulous branches ; they are 
favorite objects with artists for conventional representation 
in paint, in lacquer, in metal — everywhere. Both in nature 
and art, one finds unmistakable evidence of the innate 
love which the people have for this flower. The trees 
bloom during the balmy month of April, when the raw 
and chilly winds of winter have given place to the warmth 
and calm of cheery spring, and all nature leaps into 
renewed life. 

" Invited by the irresistible charms of nature, the people 
collect in gayly dressed throngs under the pink clouds of 
cherry blossoms, and there abandon themselves to jest 
and merrymaking. In Tokio, Ueno Park and the street 
called Mokojima are especially renowned for the charm of 
their cherry blossoms, and on pleasant days these places 
are visited by tens of thousands of people who have 
banished care and are bent solely on enjoyment, and they 
form, perhaps, the happiest collection of humanity that 
the world ever sees. It is a motley but always good- 
natured and orderly throng. The grave savant, the spec- 
tacled student, the flushed and prosperous merchant, the 
careworn poor, the decorous matron, giggling maidens 
and hilarious children — all are there, with laughing faces 
and in holiday attire. The cherry blossoms also usher in 




JAPAN WEEPING CHERRY. 



254 Ornamental Shrubs. 

a series of private festivals which ministers of state, and 
the mighty in the land who glory in the possession of 
cherry groves, give to their friends. Even his Imperial 
Majesty, the Mikado, called by his subjects O'Tenshi, 
the Son of Heaven, is affected by the general impulse the 
blossoms impart, and issues a mandate to the effect that 
on a certain day, if it does not rain, he and the Empress 
will give a cherry-blossom festival in one of the imperial 
parks. Large, handsome cards inviting the guests are 
issued several days beforehand. The guests comprise 
all high officials of the government down to a certain rank, 
the corps diplomatique, foreign employees of the govern- 
ment at the capital who receive a salary of three hundred 
yen or more per month, high officers of the army and 
navy, and representative officers of foreign war vessels 
which happen to be in the Yokohama harbor. The writer 
had the honor of attending three of these parties, and can 
therefore speak from personal observation." 

Of these Japanese forms the following are described 
as most interesting : Prunus pseudo-cerasus in its native 
country is said to form a large tree which grows wild in 
the forests of northern Japan and on the mountains of the 
south. It is described as somewhat resembling our sweet 
cherry trees in growth and appearance, but differs from 
them largely in its flowers and fruit. The wood is hard 
and fine-grained, and in general use for carvings and cab- 
inet making. It has been a favorite ornamental tree with 
the Japanese from time immemorial, and through its long- 
continued cultivation a oreat number of flowering varieties 
have originated. Some of these newer forms are upright 



Prunus — Flowering Cherry. 255 

and stiff in habit, while others are spreading, short-jointed, 
and crabby, and still others have willowy shoots which 
lend themselves to various forms in which dwarf and pot- 
grown specimens are often seen. Professor Georgesen says 
that, as a rule, the earliest varieties in bloom are single, 
and the large and double flowers the latest to appear and 
remain the longest, though there are some notable excep- 
tions to this. The flower and the leaf start at about the 
same time, but the leaf grows slowly at first, and the trees 
do not get green till about the time the flowers perish. 
These are mostly white and are quite large, appearing the 
latter part of April, and holding on well into May. Though 
there are numerous varieties in cultivation, all of them 
are charming and much admired by foreigners as well as 
natives. There has been some question as to how far 
north these plants may be cultivated with success, which 
is a question of much importance. Mr. J. G. Jack, having 
experimented with some of the varieties at the Arnold 
Arboretum, finds that they can be grown safely in the 
New England climate, at least in the region of Boston. 
But it is not to be doubted that they will succeed better 
in the southern Middle States and in the West. There is 
some question whether all varieties ascribed to this 
parentage are genuine offshoots. 

Of the single-flowering varieties, what is known in 
Japan as the kanzan produces a plain white blossom which 
is very fragrant and, in that respect, an exception to the 
eeneral rule. It is also an abundant bloomer, the flowers 
being very late and persistent. It has been grown in 
this country sufficiently to prove that it is adapted to our 



256 Ornamental Shrubs. 

climate and conditions. The tree is bushy, spreading in 
habit, and has small leaves and slender twigs. There are 
several other single-flowering sorts, such as nioi-sakura, 
which has blush flowers, sweet-scented like the foregoing, 
and appearing later, thus helping out the cherry season. 
Jishiu is reckoned a single-flowered plant but has a ten- 
dency to become double. The flowers are blush, and 
spread wide open, showing numerous long red stamens 
with yellow anthers. It, too, is a profuse bloomer. 
Koma-tome has a very large, pure-white flower with broad 
petals and numerous long, showy stamens. The flower 
stems are also long, panicled, or branched. It is an early 
bloomer. 

Of the double-flowering sorts, there is a long list from 
which it is almost impossible to make satisfactory selec- 
tions because of their uniform merit. Among them is 
fuzan-fukan, the flowers of which are double, reddish- 
pink in color, almost globular in shape, and continue to 
bloom until late in May. Botan-sakura has reddish 
flowers, very large and double, at their best in the latter 
part of April. Ko-fugen is said to be the largest-flowering 
sort amonof the cherries. The blossoms often measure 
two inches or more in diameter, and are very double and 
very late, the color reddish-pink, growing lighter with age. 
Kode-maru is peculiar, as the flowers appear in very dense 
clusters at intervals upon the branches, and being short- 
stemmed they are crowded into balls which give the tree 
an unique appearance. In color they are light pink, the 
petals narrow and only moderately double. Yo-kihi has 
very large and very double flowers, color pink. The 



Prunus — Flowering Almond. 257 

flower stems are short, but the blossoms are scattered and 
do not form balls like the preceding. It continues to 
bloom till late in May. Giyo-iko is remarkable in that 
the flowers are of a clear, light green color when they 
expand, and gradually become tipped with a pinkish 
tinge. They are very large, and often panicled in long 
stems. The branches of the tree are slender and ram- 
bling. Fugen-zo, a popular variety, has very double 
rose-blush flowers on long stems, and is a prolific and 
long-continued bloomer. It is one of the handsomest 
kinds to be found in Japan, and is planted perhaps more 
generally than any other. 

This list could be much extended, but these include the 
best varieties. " There can be no doubt," says Professor 
Georgesen, " that these cherries will do as well here 
in almost any part of America as they do in their native 
country, and as ornamental trees for the lawns and road- 
sides they will, while in bloom, surpass in beauty anything 
that we now have that blooms in early spring. Once 
before the public they will not lack appreciation." 

PRUNUS— Flowering Almond. 

P. amygdalus, popularly known as the flowering almond, 
usually appears in the nurserymen's catalogue under the 
head of amygdalus, but as it really constitutes only a 
sub-genus, or perhaps a group with the somewhat dis- 
tinct peculiarities of prunus, it is well to conform to the 
true classification, and to count the almond as a species 
of that genus, as is now done by many of our best 
horticulturists and by nearly all the best botanists. The 



258 Ornamental Shrubs. 

varieties will doubtless be known as almonds to the gen- 
eral public, and with good reason. The group is closely 
connected with the peaches, apricots, and nectarines, and 
in cultivation is subject to much the same conditions. 

The common or wild almond grows from twenty to 
thirty feet high, and has light rose -colored blossoms, 
followed by fruit that is highly esteemed throughout the 
civilized world, and that calls for no description here. It 
has been in cultivation from time immemorial, and is yet 
found gfrowinor wild in northern Africa where almond 
groves, and even forests, still exist, especially in some 
of the Barbary States. From such as these the ornamental 
almonds and those of improved fruitage have doubtless 
sprung. While the type is not especially showy, the advance 
through cultivation is such that in 1892 the London Gar- 
den was led to say : " Of all the hardy, early flowering 
trees in the British Islands, perhaps the almonds are the 
most valuable from the point of view of ornamentation. 
In March and April no other tree produces such fine effects 
in the garden or park — at any rate in the southern counties 
of England." Since this was written several new varieties 
have appeared, superior to any then in cultivation. 

P. japonica alba plena is one of the showiest sorts. It 
is of dwarf habit, and has an abundance of beautiful 
double white flowers, and is occasionally found in our 
northern gardens under the old name of flowering; al- 
mond. It is capable of larger use in that section, and is 
very desirable farther south. Its companion plant, P. 
japonica rubra plena, is much the same except that its 
blossoms are red or rose-colored. They are very abun- 



Prunus — Flowerinof Peach. 



259 



dant, and extend along the slender branches and twigs in 
advance of the foliage. 

PRUNUS— Flowering Peach. 

ACCORDING to tradition the peach, Primus per- 
sz'ca, came from Persia, and so it is credited to 
that country, though the place of its real origin 
is unsettled. It was formerly given the distinction of a 





i X 


* 


^ 








'-£* 


1 




** L 


4^w^ 


■« _ 




^ 


■J\ 


wm s 






Li 








If 


f 











DOUBLE-FLOWERINQ PEACH. 



separate genus, but is now held to be simply a species of 
primus along with the almonds and plums. It is prized as 



260 Ornamental Shrubs. 

one of the most valuable fruit-bearing trees under cultiva- 
tion, and has thrown off a few double-flowering varieties 
with blossoms marked by a beauty and delicacy not often 
surpassed. That known as P. per ska alba plena is very 
conspicuous, producing large double white flowers at the 
usual time of peach flowering. They appear in great pro- 
fusion, and while they continue are always objects of ad- 
miration. This is heightened when the tree is planted in 
groups with others of the same character, such as P. rosea 
plena, with its double, rich rose-colored flowers ; P. san- 
guinea, which is much the same except that the inflores- 
cence is more a blood-red ; and P. versicolor plena, having 
flowers red and white, variously marked on the same tree. 
Such a collection on the lawn or in the border, in front of 
other shrubs and trees, can scarcely be equalled in beauty 
and interest. There is also a charming purple-leaved 
variety of P. persica with foliage deep blood-red in spring, 
and becoming purple in summer. 

P. davidiana is a comparatively new plant in general 
cultivation. It is of Chinese origin, though found later in 
Japan and some other eastern countries, and was first 
brought to the especial attention of the botanists by Abbe 
David, from whom it takes its name. The plant resembles 
the peach and apricot in its habit of growth, and may well 
be counted a member of the same branch of the prunus 
family. It is usually trained in bush form with slender 
branches, and it is on those of the previous season's 
growth that the flowers are produced. They come in very 
early spring, are nearly or quite sessile, and in the greatest 
possible profusion, pink and white, double, and slightly 



Prunus — Flowering Plum. 261 

fragrant. When at the best this is a most attractive shrub 
or tree, and it is certain to become a favorite. It is 
reasonably hardy in the Northern States, though it is well 
to give it slight protection. The peach blossom is short- 
lived, as are most fruit blossoms, and the wise planter 
will have regard to this fact from the beginning. 

PRUNUS— Flowering Plum. 

P. maritime/,, known as the beach plum, is a somewhat 
common shrub along the Atlantic seacoast, and is worthy 
of more attention than it ordinarily receives. It is found 
in several varieties differing little and in unimportant par- 
ticulars. As seen growing among the sand-heaps along 
the shores, it is often a mere strao-o-lino- bush three to four 
feet hieh, and without form or comeliness, but when trans- 
ferred to better soils, and given proper care, it not infre- 
quently rises to a height of eight feet. Under cultivation 
it becomes a shapely and useful shrub, and is abundant in 
fruitage, which by some is highly esteemed. The stem is 
almost black, sometimes erect and sometimes prostrate, 
and with ash-colored dots. The branches are stiff, often 
dotted with orange, while the leaves are closely set, and 
are covered with a soft down. The blossoms come in ad- 
vance of the foliage, and, though having no especial 
beauty, are interesting. 

The chief virtue of this plant, however, is its adapta- 
tion to inhospitable situations, and its power of endurance 
where others fail. Whatever else may be said in its favor, 
it stands pre-eminent as a nurse plant in the peculiar posi- 
tions where it is able to thrive. In shore planting one 



262 Ornamental Shrubs. 

may begin almost at the water's edge, and follow with 
more desirable plants suited to such localities though in a 
less degree, and thus proceed until the most barren situa- 
tions can be covered with herbage and made attractive. 
The beach plum answers for this good purpose in the 
vicinity of the inland lakes as well as near the salt water, 
and, indeed, in exposed and sandy situations everywhere. 

P. pissardii is understood to have come from Persia, 
and is sometimes known as the purple-leaved Persian plum. 
It is a somewhat recent introduction to American gardens, 
but is already widely distributed, and universally popular, 
though its blossoms are quite inconspicuous, and of little 
ornamental worth. It is prized chiefly as a small tree or 
shrub, and has both colored bark and foliage. Perhaps in 
this respect it is without a rival in its class. In springtime 
the bark on the new growths is deep purple, and the 
bursting leaves as they come from the buds are violet- 
crimson. As they mature they take on a darker hue, 
equal to that of the finest of the purple beeches, and this 
they hold during the entire summer. Most trees and 
shrubs with such distinct foliage fade under the influence 
of the sun's hot rays, and become dingy, but such is not 
the case here. The flowers are small and single, and the 
fruit, which ripens in early autumn, is correspondingly 
inferior, and is scarcely visible as it is of the same color 
as the leaves. 

P. triloba, a Chinese shrub with three-lobed leaves and 
somewhat spreading branches, only needs to be known in 
order to be admired. It proves well adapted alike to 
North and South, and thrives in a much wider climatic 



264 Ornamental Shrubs. 

ranofe than do most other varieties, and is not fastidious as 
to soils and situations. It grows from four to six feet in 
height, with numerous slender branches which in early 
spring, before the foliage appears, are covered from end 
to end with double, light pink blossoms about an inch 
across, completely covering the whole bush. These come 
in May as far north as New England, sometimes breaking 
out in March anions the first harbingers of the summer. 

P. watsonii is the sand plum so well known in some 
sections of the middle West, where it thrives in thickets on 
low, sandy soils near running streams and stagnant water. 
It is a low, rather irregular-growing shrub with zigzag 
branches and almost spinose branchlets. The bark is 
inclined to a reddish hue, especially when the plants are 
young. The flowers appear in May, are white and very 
fragrant, and produced in such profusion as to cover all 
the branches. They are followed by abundant fruit which 
hangs long, is nearly an inch in diameter, and is edible. 
As the shrub grows from five to ten feet in height, its 
value cannot well be overestimated in the section to which 
it is indigenous, and it may prove of great service in 
similar locations. It appears to be perfectly hardy, and 
has a field for usefulness and also as an ornamental plant 
throughout the West. 

CARAGANA— Siberian Pea Tree. 

THE caraganas constitute a small class of ornamental 
shrubs, not very widely known in cultivation, 
which are both curious and interesting. There 
are several species and varieties that are worthy of a place 



Caraoana — Siberian Pea Tree. 265 



"& 



in the garden or border wherever a plant of their propor- 
tions is desired. Most of them prove sufficiently hardy 
to withstand our northern winters, and so adapt them- 
selves to a large extent of country. So far as known 
none of them is indigenous to America, though most of 
them appear to be much at home among us. They are 
all easily grown, and not especially particular as to soils 
and situations. 

C. arborcscens. — This is a native of Siberia, and is the 
species longest and best known in America, and under 
favorable circumstances grows to a height of fifteen to 
twenty feet. The foliage is compound, consisting of four 
to six pairs of leaflets of good color which remain through 
the season. The flowers are pale yellow, and very numer- 
ous, so that when in blossom the little tree somewhat 
resembles the viburnum. These appear in April or May. 
There is a pendulous form of much smaller growth, and, 
when height is desired, it can be grafted on taller stems 
with good results, as the smaller branches fall gracefully 
to the ground on every side. 

C. altagana is but a small shrub, two to four feet high, 
with six to eight pairs of leaflets which are glabrous and 
nearly round. Its blossoms are also yellow. C. chamlagu 
is a native of China, and differs but little from the above 
except that its flowers appear in June and are first golden 
and then red. C. frutescens is another native of Siberia, 
and has deep golden-yellow pea-shaped flowers in great 
abundance, appearing in May and June. It is usually 
two to four feet in height, and is one of the most valu- 
able of its class. C. spinosa is also a Siberian plant, 



266 Ornamental Shrubs. 

growing from four to six feet high, with yellow blossoms in 
great abundance. This is pronounced, on account of its 
long branches and strong thorns, a most excellent shrub 
for forming impenetrable hedges. It is especially adapted 
to sandy soils and to grafting on C. arborescens when a 
taller plant is desired. 

EL^EAGNUS. 

THE elasagnus is the typical species of the natural 
order Elceagnacece, and constitutes an interest- 
ing family of deciduous and evergreen shrubs, 
mostly small trees, which are now coming into quite 
general use in ornamental planting. Special attention 
has been called to this group within the past few years 
through the introduction of several new varieties from the 
Orient, though one or two of the American species are 
possessed of valuable qualities, and are not to be over- 
looked. Nearly all have proved themselves hardy 
throughout the north temperate zone, while in the 
southern portion of the United States some of them are 
nearly or quite evergreen. 

E. longipes is a Japanese species, and may undoubt- 
edly be counted one of the best yet known to cultivation. 
It grows from three to five feet in height, with numerous 
slender branches which are covered with brown, rusty 
scales, but are not such as to give it an offensive appear- 
ance. Professor Sargent, who saw it in Japan, says that 
in old age it there attains a height of from twenty to 
twenty-five feet, and forms a stout trunk a foot in diame- 
ter. The leaves are thick, dark green above and silvery- 



268 Ornamental Shrubs. 

white beneath. The flowers are rather inconspicuous, 
but the fruit is showy and ornamental. It is borne on 
long stalks, and is bright red covered with small white 
dots. It han£s lonor on the stem, and affords a beautiful 
contrast to the coloring of the foliage. This elseagnus 
may well be grown for the fruit alone, as it is juicy and 
edible, having a sharp, pungent, and agreeable flavor. 
Though all persons do not enjoy the taste, some esteem 
it preferable to that of the currant or gooseberry. In 
France it is used for preserving, and is highly appreciated. 
The plant is sure to prove a valuable acquisition and to 
come into more general use. So far as tested the shrub 
is found perfectly hardy as far north as New England, 
and even Canada. 

E. canadensis is a native of America, and in some 
sections is popularly known as the Missouri silver-tree. 
It grows to the height of eight or ten feet, often throwing 
out an abundance of suckers. The leaves are oblong, 
sharp-pointed, and silvery-white both above and beneath, 
contrasting strongly with the yellow flowers which appear 
in July and August. These are followed by roundish, 
ovate fruit, ribbed and covered with white scales. The 
flowers are fragrant, and the fruit, though dry and mealy, 
is esteemed by many. 

E. angustifolia is a native of southeastern Europe and 
western Asia, and is the veritable wild olive of the classic 
authors. It is often in modern times called the Jerusalem, 
willow, though it is not a willow at all. The flowers 
are yellow, appear in midsummer, and the oblong, light- 
colored fruit is common in the markets of the East. 



2 jo Ornamental Shrubs. 

George Nicholson says: " Under cultivation I have seen 
this thrive in a dry, hungry, sandy soil, and attain 
tree-like proportions, with a stem as much as a foot in 
diameter. This deciduous species is capable of being 
turned to good account by the landscape gardener." 
E. fiortensis is a native of mid-Asia, where it grows freely 
on the mountains, often at an elevation of three thou- 
sand feet and upwards. It is there largely cultivated 
by the natives in orchards, for its fruit. It is scarcely 
known in this country, but might possibly be introduced to 
advantage. A report from South Dakota is to the effect 
that it flourishes in that section, where the thermometer 
sometimes registers thirty degrees below zero, and where 
the annual rainfall does not exceed twenty-two inches. 
The foliage is late in breaking out, so that it escapes late 
frosts, and the roots go deeply into the earth, thus en- 
abling it to withstand periods when the rainfall is so 
light that many other sorts fail. It may be used for low 
hedges, as the lower branches are well preserved, thus 
constituting an effective windbreak. 

E. umbellatus has sometimes by nurserymen and others 
been confounded with E. longipes, and sold as such ; but 
it is not the same. The foliage differs but slightly from 
that of the type, having the silvery cast, but the fruit is 
the color of amber and speckled with white, and if possible is 
still more abundant. It is about the size of a large currant, 
and fully as valuable. When first ripened it is quite acid 
to the taste, but a little later it becomes sweet and mellow. 
Those who know it best speak highly of its value for 
cooking purposes, and it is likely to come into common 



Elasagnus. 



271 



use as soon as its merits are fully appreciated. Very few 
shrubs are more beautiful on the lawn or in the border, 




EL/EGANUS UMBELLATUS. 



especially in autumn ; and as its fruit ripens in November, 
when berries of all kinds are scarce, this is certain to serve 
a good purpose in supplying the deficiency. 

E. macrophylla is quite distinct from either of those 
named, and, in fact, from almost any other shrub known 
to cultivation, and capable of serving a useful purpose in 
the garden or shrubbery. It is said that English garden- 
ers are now making free use of it whenever it can be 
procured, but it has been so recently introduced that the 
market supplies are limited. It is an evergreen species 
with large round leaves light gray on the upper surface 
and nearly pure white beneath. The flowers are greenish- 
yellow, appearing in clusters of considerable size in early 



272 Ornamental Shrubs. 

autumn. It is not known that the fruit is of especial 
value, or that it is perfectly hardy in the Northern States. 
E. simoni is another of the Chinese sorts, less ornamental 
than several of the others, but has thrown off a variety 
with colored foliage of great beauty. In this the leaves 
are margined with dark green, have golden-yellow centres 
shaded into brown, and maintain these peculiarities almost 
the entire season. This variety is said to have originated 
in Belgium, where it is looked upon as a most valuable 
acquisition. It is doubtful if it has yet been introduced 
to American gardens, but in the South it would assuredly 
prove a success. 

There are several other evergreen species, classified as 
E. glabra, E. pungens, and E. reflexa, which so closely re- 
semble each other as scarcely to be entitled to a separate 
description in a work of this kind. These are all small 
shrubs, six to ten feet, and have variegated forms of great 
beauty, and are especially adapted to planting in the 
Middle and Southern States, as their hardiness may not 
be sufficient to endure the rigor of climatic conditions in 
New England and the Northwest. 

CAMELLIA. 

THIS is a genus of elegant and most interesting 
plants suitable to southern cultivation only. It 
belongs to the order Ternstroemiacece, and was 
named in honor of a Jesuit missionary by the name of 
Camellus, who wrote a history of the plants of Luzon and 
some others of the Philippine Islands during the last cen- 
tury. Most of the species are tropical or sub-tropical 



Camellia. 273 

plants, though several are sufficiently hardy for out-of- 
door cultivation in or near the Gulf States, where they are 
coining to be more freely planted from year to year, as 
their merits are better appreciated. None of them can be 
successfully grown in the North, but occasional specimens 
are to be found in the Middle States under favorable 
conditions and with slight protection. Mr. P. J. Berck- 
mans of Augusta, Georgia, writes that " camellias abound 
in all the southern cities, where some have reached to a 
great size and have stood every extreme of heat and cold. 
Beginning with the old alba plena, or double white, whose 
flowers often open in November, we have a regular suc- 
cession of floral harvest until April, and have the choice 
of some two hundred varieties." The same authority says 
that the best seasons for transplanting are from early Oc- 
tober to the beginning of November, and from the end of 
February to the end of March. 

C. japonica is most prominently noted among the spe- 
cies as the common camellia, and is the type from which 
has sprung a great number of varieties and hybrids now 
widely distributed. Under the most favorable conditions, 
it grows in somewhat tree form to a considerable size, and 
is possessed of great beauty. The leaves are quite large, 
ovate, sharp-pointed, serrated, and of good substance and 
color. The blossoms are in numerous shades, and mostly 
pink with yellow projecting stamens. It is a native of 
China as well as of several other Asiatic countries. C. 
japonica alba is much the same except in the color of its 
petals which are of the purest white, contrasting strongly 
with the bright yellow centres. The original forms are 



274 Ornamental Shrubs. 

now seldom found in cultivation either in the garden or 
conservatory, as some of the varieties are much superior. 
It would be useless to attempt to describe in detail the 
almost numberless forms produced through natural proc- 
esses, and by the hybridizers who have turned their atten- 
tion in this direction. There are varieties with double 
and single flowers, and almost every possible shade of 
color, and the number is increasing every year. It is 
claimed that there is no plant that will afford such a wealth 
of bloom extended over so long a time as the camellia, 
and the claim appears to be pretty well founded. It is 
essentially a winter-blooming plant, and among all the 
broad-leaved evergreens is one of the best. It is a pity 
that only a narrow fringe of our territory is capable of 
producing the camellias in the open ground. 

ITEA. 

TH E iteas belong to the order Saxifragacece, and are 
very little known in cultivation. Though the 
genus contains only five species, it is distributed 
freely throughout the United States, China, Japan, the 
Himalayas, and some of the islands within the tropics. 
One form only is of interest to us, and that has recently 
been rescued from the long list of neglected plants so 
many of which are now coming into notice. The botanists 
call it Itea virginica, and so far as known this is the one 
species looked upon with favor in the parks and gardens. 
It grows to a height of five to eight feet, and has alternate 
leaves, oblong, pointed, and minutely serrate, changing 
from green to scarlet-crimson in midsummer, and retain- 



Vitex — Chaste Tree. 



275 



ing the new shade until autumn. The flowers are white, 
and in terminal racemes, small, but sufficiently numerous 
to make the bush attractive, and to justify a greater use 




ITEA VIRQINICA 



of the plant than it now has. They appear in the middle 
of June. Though supposed to be a distinctively southern 
plant, the itea is found to grow wild in New Jersey, and 
may be safely used much farther north. 

VITEX— Chaste Tree. 

OF the vitex there are only one or two species 
sufficiently hardy to withstand the rigors of our 
northern climate. The genus is of the order 
Verbenacece, and contains not far from sixty species, mostly 
classed as greenhouse or stove plants. V. agnus-castus, 
though supposed to be too tender for garden cultivation 
north of Washington or Philadelphia, is, nevertheless, 



276 Ornamental Shrubs. 

occasionally seen in New York and even in southern 
New England, but in such locations it demands and must 
receive thorough protection. Thomas Meehan writes that 
in Philadelphia it gets partly winter-killed, but that this 
does not hurt it in the slightest. On the contrary, the 
shoots seem to start more vigorously from the base, and 
to give finer flowers than they otherwise would. Where 
it does not winter-kill it would be well to cut the plant to 
near the ground, as is done with the hydrangea. The 
vitex is popularly known as the chaste tree, though also 
bearing such names as hemp tree and pepper tree, the latter 
perhaps in recognition of the fact that its foliage gives off 
a peculiar, aromatic fragrance by no means objectionable. 
It is a small, neat-appearing shrub, from three to six feet in 
height, and with long, narrow-pointed leaves, and panicles 
of bright lilac flowers shooting up above the foliage. 
They are especially welcome, as they appear in August 
and September when flowering shrubs are not common. 
There is a variety of vitex having white blossoms, and 
another with deep blue ; and a species recently intro- 
duced from China is said to be more hardy, but this is not 
yet sufficiently tested to disclose its full merits. 

CORNUS— Cornel— Dogwood. 

THE cornus family, of the order Cornacece, includes 
trees, shrubs, and a few perennial herbs widely 
distributed through Europe, Asia, and America. 
The Latin name comes from cornu, the horn, and was 
applied because of the hardness and strength of the wood, 
and its real or supposed durability under exposures. The 



Cornus — Cornel — Dogwood. 277 

garden varieties are among the most valuable shrubs and 
small trees in use. It is in their favor that they will do 
better in the shade and when exposed to the drip of over- 
hanging trees than do most other shrubs. For this reason, 
if for no other, they fill an important place, and, being 
compact and bushy, they quickly supply vacancies and 
cover the naked stems of trees or other objects which are 
desired to be hidden from the eye. All the woody species 
can be used in this way to especial advantage. In some 
parts of Europe, especially in Italy, they have been planted 
for hedges, and with satisfactory results. They are nearly 
all remarkably hardy, adapting themselves readily to great 
diversities of soil and climate. All are deciduous, and 
mostly with leaves opposite, entire, and of good substance. 
Some of them produce flowers of great beauty, and in 
abundance. In most cases the bark is bitter and astrin- 
gent, as are also the berries, which ripen in autumn. The 
wood is close-grained, and much prized for purposes 
requiring strength and endurance. 

C. florida, flowering dogwood, is one of the most 
desirable of our native shrubs. It usually grows from ten 
to twelve feet high, but occasionally, under favorable 
circumstances, shoots up to twenty or thirty. In either 
case it assumes fair proportions, and in its season of 
blossoming, which is early spring, commands universal 
admiration. The leaves are four or five inches long, and 
two to three wide, ovate, sharp-pointed, and somewhat 
pubescent or hairy, especially along the mid-rib and more 
prominent veins. The flowers appear at the end of the 
branches, twelve or more in a head, and are supported by 



278 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



short, club-like stalks. They are small and attract but 
little attention, and what is taken as the blossom is the 







CORNUS FLORIDA. 



whorl of large leaves by which the real flowers are sur- 
rounded. These are four in number, pure white, and spread- 



Cornus — Cornel — Dogwood. 279 

ing so as to become very conspicuous, and whether seen in 
the edges of a forest or in the garden border are very beauti- 
ful. The fruit which follows is closely bunched, bright scar- 
let, and also showy. It is so bitter that even the birds will 
not touch it until its character has been somewhat changed 
by frost, when it becomes acceptable to the robins, and 
probably to the voracious little sparrows that are always 
with us. The bark of the stem and branches is also very 
bitter, and is sometimes used successfully as a substitute 
for Peruvian bark as a tonic, an astringent, or an antiseptic. 
In autumn the foliage changes to purple and crimson, and 
with the bunches of crimson berries makes the tree almost 
as attractive at that season as it was in springtime. Like 
most of the cornels, it is of slow growth and entirely hardy. 
Some of the earlier botanists who visited this country 
and came in contact with this shrub or tree, were enthu- 
siastic in its praise, as well they might be. William 
Bartram, in his Travels in Georgia and Florida, gives 
the following account of its appearance as he found it near 
the banks of the Alabama River : " We now entered a re- 
markable grove of dogwood trees, which continued nine 
or ten miles unaltered, except here and there by a tower- 
ing Magnolia grandiflora. The land on which they grow 
is an exact level ; the surface a shallow, loose, black mould, 
on a stratum of stiff, yellowish clay. These trees were 
about twelve feet high, spreading horizontally ; and their 
limbs, meeting and interlocking with each other, formed 
one vast, shady, cool grove, so dense and humid as to ex- 
clude the sunbeams, and prevent the intrusion of almost 
every vegetable; affording us a most desirable shelter 



28o 



Ornamental Shrubs. 




from the fervid sunbeams at noonday. This admirable 
grove, by way of eminence, has acquired the name of The 
Dogwoods. During a progress of nearly seventy miles 

through this high forest 
there was constantly 
presented to view, on 
one hand or the other, 
spacious groves of this 
flowering tree, which 
must in the spring sea- 
son, when coyered with 
blossoms, exhibit a most 
pleasing scene." And 
Professor E. L. Greene 
in our own time says : 
" One of the delightful, 
unfading pictures in our memory of eastern woods in their 
June glory is that of the shrub or small tree known as 
flowering dogwood. A full-grown specimen with its wide- 
spread and stratified branches, each ultimate twig bearing 
a large, white, cruciform involucre, which commonly passes 
for a corolla, is an object of striking beauty in the finest 
glades where it occurs." 

The species has several varieties of value in cultiva- 
tion. Of these C. f. pendula, or weeping dogwood, is one 
of the most striking, having foliage and flowers like its 
parent, but borne on pendulous branches on every side of 
the upright stem, and extending to the ground. The 
branches are firm and rather stiff, though not always so 
represented in the pictures shown in the nurserymen's 



FLOWERING DOGWOOD. 



Cornus— Cornel — Dogwood. 281 



& 



catalogues. The fruit consists of red berries, and in 
autumn the foliage changes almost to crimson. C.f. rubra, 
or the red-flowering variety, is of quite recent introduc- 
tion. It is much the same as the type, except in the color 
of the blossom, which may be described as deep rose, 
dark red, or sometimes pink instead of white. The origi- 
nal is said to have been discovered on one of the Virginia 
mountains by a clergyman, through whom it was domesti- 
cated and introduced to civilized society. Though inter- 
esting and worthy of extensive planting, it is not more 
beautiful than the type. It makes a fine single plant, but 
perhaps the best use to which it can be put is to place it 
in the shrubbery beside the older forms, when the contrast 
cannot fail to be especially agreeable. 

C. circinata, round-leaved dogwood, is an American 
species, growing in moist situations from Canada to 
Florida. It is from five to ten feet high, with numerous 
slender branches which form a well-shaped and spreading 
head. The bark is usually marked with warty dots which 
fail to add to its beauty, though not especially objectiona- 
ble. The leaves are oval, abruptly pointed, prominently 
veined, somewhat rough, and covered with a whitish bloom 
or down beneath. The flowers are white, in terminal, flat 
cymes, on bowing footstalks, and appear in May. The 
fruit is small, pale blue, ripening in early autumn and re- 
maining until after frost. While not one of the best of 
the cornels, it proves an acceptable plant for the shrub- 
bery or border. Unlike most of the species, it prefers a 
rocky or sandy soil, and proves of good service for such 
situations. 



282 Ornamental Shrubs. 

C. alternifolia is found chiefly in the Middle and 
Western States. It grows sometimes as a tree twenty to 
thirty feet high, with branches somewhat in whorls and 
quite numerous ; but more frequently appears as a shrub 
eight to ten feet high, and of good form and character. 
Unlike most of the dogwoods, both its branches and its 
leaves are alternate. In the case of the former, the bark 
is of bright, shiny green with splashes of gray varying 
considerably in size and form. The leaves are borne on 
long footstalks, are wedge-shaped at the base, and lance- 
olate toward the apex, terminating in a rather sharp point. 
They are dark green above and almost glossy, but lighter 
beneath and slightly pubescent. The flowers, which ap- 
pear about the first of June, are in somewhat irregular 
clusters, white, though sometimes tinted with yellow. 
The fruit is black tinted with blue, and in its abun- 
dance adds materially to the value of the plant. It is 
less bitter and astringent than that of some of the other 
species, and quickly taken by the birds. 

C. stolonifera, the red osier or red-stemmed dogwood, 
is a well-known shrub found growing freely in wet, marshy 
lands throughout Canada and most of the Northern 
States. Its main stem is prostrate, and wholly or par- 
tially under ground, whence it throws up an abundance of 
small, straight shoots six or eight or even ten feet in 
height. These are clothed with a smooth bark, dull green 
or reddish in summer, but becoming a glowing scarlet in 
winter. This is, in fact, its chief attraction, as the show 
of color is in marked contrast with surrounding objects. 
In some instances a mass of these shrubs at that season 



Cornus — Cornel — Dogwood. 283 

looks almost like a sheet of fire, when seen at a little dis- 
tance. In summer the stems throw out large, roundish 
leaves, somewhat rough on both sides, and terminating in 
a short, sharp point. This species appears to be also in- 
digenous to Europe and Asia, growing as far north as 
Siberia, and, as might be expected, is entirely hardy. It 
is there known as Cornus alba, with reference to its fruit, 
which is a small berry, bluish white and very bitter. 

C. sanguinea, another red-stemmed cornus, is a species 
of foreign nativity, though now well known and common 
in American gardens. The height is from six to eight 
feet, with numerous shoots proceeding from a more or less 
prostrate root, which is in reality the stem partially cov- 
ered by the soil and an accumulation of leaves. The 
greenish-white flowers appear late in spring, but are not 
especially attractive or interesting. The foliage is good, 
making it a valuable shrub for summer, though its chief 
attractiveness is in winter when its red branches render it 
conspicuous. The fruit is a small black berry, which, when 
compressed, yields a valuable oil that in some countries 
is used in the manufacture of fancy soaps and other 
articles requiring oleaginous substances. The species 
is very abundant in western Asia and some portions of 
Europe. 

C. spathi is a variety in many respects decidedly supe- 
rior to the type, and one of the very best variegated plants. 
The leaves in spring are dark, almost bronze, and very 
attractive ; but the greatest charm is put on in mid- 
summer, when they are broadly and irregularly margined 
with yellow and white, which is retained the remainder 



284 Ornamental Shrubs. 

of the season, the peculiar shading being more constant 
than in many of our most popular colored foliage-plants. 
Though brighter in the open sunshine, the variegation is 
well maintained in partial shade. It is scarcely possible 
to find a more strikingly beautiful and charming shrub for 
planting singly, in masses, or in promiscuous groups and 
borders. 

C. serzcea, or silky cornus, is a somewhat spreading 
shrub growing freely on the banks of streams and in 
moist places, seldom reaching above five to ten feet in 
height. It produces white flowers in corymbs during the 
months of June and July, and these are followed by pale 
blue, globose berries. The younger branches are some- 
what purple, sprinkled with white and covered with a 
silky down, whence comes the name. The leaves are 
opposite, two to three inches long, sharply ovate, rounded 
at the base and pointed at the apex. This cornus is a 
native of the United States, and ranges from Canada to 
the Gulf of Mexico, having a preference for moist lands, 
though growing well in any reasonably good soil. C. 
paniculata, or panicled dogwood, produces its white 
blossoms in loose cymes or panicles in July and August, 
much later than most of the other forms, and for that 
reason is especially desirable. It grows from five to 
seven feet high under ordinary conditions, in bushy form 
and with whitish leaves, and has berries in late autumn. 

C. mas, or cornelian cherry, is a native of central 
Europe, but, though introduced to America many years 
ago, is not as often seen in our gardens as it should be. 
It is a small tree or large shrub, reaching sometimes the 



Cornus — Cornel — Dogwood. 



285 



height of about fifteen feet, with slender branches and a 
well-rounded head. Its chief beauty consists in the small, 
bright yellow flowers which appear in early spring- in 
advance of the foliage. These blossoms are in compact 
clusters which extend the whole length of the branches, 
giving the tree a very strik- 
ing appearance. As it is one 
of our very first bloomers, 
it occupies an important 
place in ornamental plant- 
ing. There are two varie- 
ties of this plant which are 
especially beautiful. One, 
C. m. vartegata, has its foli- 
age strikingly marked with 
pure white, and the other, 
C m. elegantissima, is white 
with light and yellow shad- 
ings. Both are desirable 
garden plants. Thomas 
Meehan in writing of this 
plant takes occasion to say : 
"In this dogwood we can 
see how Nature makes species ! We are all familiar 
with the white dogwood of the woods, — Cornus florida 
in the east, and Cornus nuttallii on the Pacific slope. 
We know well the four broad, white bracts which lend 
the dogwood flower its chief charm. We see in the cor- 
nelian cherry the same four bracts, only that more cor- 
rectly they are the scales that protected the flowers in 




CORNUS ELEGANTISSIMA. 



286 Ornamental Shrubs. 

the winter. In the other dogwood cited, the four bud- 
scales simply take a second growth, carrying the winter 
portion on the apex. The notch on the end of the 
broad, white bract is the bud-scale of the past winter. 
What the power is that says to the bud-scales of Cornus 
mas, ' Rest when you let the flowers out,' and to the 
bud-scales of Cornus florida, ' Take another growth and 
become another species,' nobody knows yet, — but it cer- 
tainly is not by any law of natural selection, the struggle 
for life, the survival of the fittest, or the accident of 
environment. There are many reasons why this lovely 
shrub should have a place in any garden that can find 
room for it." 

C. stricta, or upright dogwood, grows to a height of 
eight to fifteen feet, with numerous straight stems or 
branches, making a beautiful bush. The blossoms are 
white, in open cymes, and showy ; the foliage is bright 
green. One of its varieties, little known, has its leaves 
beautifully variegated with yellow and white, but the colors 
are not as permanent as might be desired. C. baileyi 
has scarcely been introduced to cultivation, but it appears 
to possess qualities that should make it useful. It grows 
freely in certain sections of the Northwest along the 
borders of the Great Lakes, and, according to Professor 
Bailey, on sand-dunes, and often in the loosest, shifting, 
white sands. Any plant which will do this is capable of 
great service in many localities, and especially a shrub of up- 
right form, good foliage, and beautiful flowers which appear 
continuously from June to September. The fruit of this 
cornus is in clusters of pearly white, and is quite showy. 



Gordonia. 287 

C. kousa has come to be known as a cornus, though 
it was formerly classed as Benthamia japonica, that genus 
having now been merged into this. The kousa is an 
interesting form, having flowers which are yellow, very 
small, and borne in clusters, the showy part of the inflores- 
cence being furnished by four large white bracts which 
surround the real blossoms exactly as in Cornus jlorida. 
The bracts of this Japanese cornus are, however, more 
pointed and, if anything, of a purer white. Mr. Falconer, 
who grew it at Glen Cove, pronounced it one of the finest 
shrubs one could have in a garden, and far more hardy 
than some of the other Japanese sorts. 

GORDONIA. 

THIS is a distinctively American tree or shrub, hav- 
ing been discovered on the banks of the Al- 
tamaha River in Georgia, by a botanist of the 
last century. It is said to have been named in honor of 
Dr. James Gordon of Aberdeen, with whom the discoverer 
had previously been associated. It belongs to the order 
Temstroemiacece. The genus includes few species suf- 
ficiently hardy for out-of-door cultivation, and even in the 
middle-southern States winter protection is sometimes 
needed. With suitable precautions specimens have been 
grown as far north as New York and even Boston, but 
the gordonia cannot be advised for planting, except by ex- 
perts, much above Washington. 

Although indigenous to the United States, and here 
first found, it is not now known to be growing wild in any 
part of the country. There are only two forms worthy of 



288 Ornamental Shrubs. 

especial mention as suitable for the park or garden. The 
first, G. lasianthus, popularly known as loblolly bay, is 
a shrub often rising to a height of eight or ten feet, with 
coriaceous foliage, the leaves being oblong-lanceolate, nar- 
rowed at the base, smooth and glossy. The flowers are 
about four inches in diameter, pure white, and deliciously 
fragrant. They are composed of five broad, incurved 
petals enclosing a large number of yellow stamens and 
anthers. The flowers appear early in September, and, 
though they are at no time abundant, continue in succes- 
sion until killed off by frost. This late blooming gives the 
shrub its principal attraction. The whole bush has a pe- 
culiar fragrance said to resemble that of the Chinese tea 
plant, so much so that the leaves have sometimes been 
used as a substitute for tea. G. pubescens is much the same 
in its general characteristics. It grows to little more than 
half the height of the preceding, and has leaves slightly 
downy, especially on the under side. The flowers are 
about three inches in diameter, pure white with yellow 
filaments, and fragrant. They appear in August, and con- 
tinue until late autumn. 

CERCIS— Judas-Tree— Red-Bud. 

WHAT is popularly known as the Judas-tree or 
red-bud, cercis, constitutes a genus of Le- 
guminosce containing, so far as known, not 
more than five or six species, and only a small number of 
varieties that are found in cultivation. The common name, 
Judas-tree, is applied because of the ancient legend that 
the arch-traitor went out and handed himself on a tree of 



Cercis — Judas-Tree — Red-Bud. 289 

this class, reference being doubtless had to the appearance 
of the tree in blossom, when its trunk and branches are 
covered with small buds or flowers much resembling drops 
of blood. There is another legend to the effect that the 
ignominy fell to the lot of the elder, which has ever since 
had a repulsive odor. The family is indigenous to the 
south of Europe, to Eastern Asia, and to North America. 
It is distinguished among the order to which it belongs by 
its glabrous, kidney-shaped leaves, and the peculiar flow- 
ers, to which reference has been made. These buds and 
blossoms are succeeded by thin, flat, brown pods some- 
times nearly six inches long, remaining on the tree nearly 
or quite all the year. In garden cultivation, especially in 
colder climates, these are seldom followed by fruit, resort 
being made to other methods of propagation for the per- 
petuation and increase of the family. 

C. canadensis — American Red-Bud. — This is the 
species best known in our parks and gardens. It is a fine 
tree in the early season, showy from the appearance of its 
buds, which break out in great numbers along nearly the 
whole length of its branches, and are of a brilliant red or 
rose color. Nothing among trees is more singular and at- 
tractive, and when a well-formed top is thus ablaze one 
can scarcely pass without pausing to admire. The tree is 
not large, though often twenty-five to thirty feet high. 
The leaves, which begin to appear in May while the flow- 
ers are expanding, are folded in a peculiar manner on the 
bud, and when fully grown are somewhat heart-shaped at 
the base, acuminate, and of a deep, rich color. 

C. siliquastrum is a native of southern Europe and 



290 Ornamental Shrubs. 

various Asiatic countries, and has been longest kwnon in 
cultivation, having had a place in famous gardens for many 
generations. It produces slightly larger flowers and of a 
somewhat darker shade than does the American species, 
but they are not more beautiful, nor are they brought out 
in equal profusion. It is not found to endure our northern 
winters so well as the native sort, but may be safely planted 
throughout the Middle and Southern States. The foliage 
is quite obtuse, and nearly circular, but in its general 
characteristics equally good. 

C. chinensis is the eastern species, and was received in 
this country through the medium of Japan, and has come 
to be popularly known as the Japan Judas-tree, though 
it was probably not indigenous to the Island Empire. It 
has larger leaves and flowers, the latter appearing, if pos- 
sible, in even greater profusion than on its western con- 
geners. When at its best, it appears as a perfect sheet of 
flame, and by the branches spreading the effect is height- 
ened to a marvellous degree. In growth it is smaller than 
either of the other sorts, and more shrub-like, seldom 
attaining a height above twelve feet. It is probably the 
best of its class. No garden, park, or lawn is complete in 
its spring exhibit without a red-bud or Judas-tree in one 
or more of these forms. 

C. texensis has its home in semi-tropical climates, and 
is distinctively a tree for planting in the South and not in 
the North. It is met with most frequently in the State 
from which it takes its name, and will doubtless do good 
service along the lines of latitude suggested. Its resem- 
blance to C. canadensis is so close that the botanists have 



Corylopsis. 291 

not been agreed as to whether it is a distinct species, or a 

mere variety of the better-known form. But if it answers 

the purpose for the South which the common Judas-tree 

does for the North it will prove an acquisition to the 

parks and gardens of that section. It is described as a 

slender tree from twenty to thirty feet high at maturity. 

As with the other members of the family, the foliage and 

flowers are put forth nearly together, and in early spring. 

The flowers are about half an inch long, and are on 

slender pedicels, though the clusters are nearly or quite 

sessile. 

CORYLOPSIS. 

ONLY a few species of corylopsis appear to be 
known in cultivation in America, though there 
are several that Nicholson in the Dictionary of 
Gardening pronounces very ornamental and interesting, 
hardy, deciduous shrubs. None of them is native of the 
western continent or of Europe. So far as known they 
all come from China or Japan, with the exception of a 
single specimen from the Himalayas. The genus at best 
is a small one, but the wonder is that it has not been more 
taken into cultivation, both here and in England, where it 
is just beginning to make its way. 

C. spicata is the best-known form. It is a small bush 
three to four feet high, and was introduced from Japan, 
where it is grown in the best gardens, and highly es- 
teemed. It has long-stalked, feather-veined foliage, finely 
serrated, and glaucous beneath, smooth and pale green 
above. The flowers have five petals and five stamens, 
and spring from the axils of yellowish-green bracts, and 



292 Ornamental Shrubs. 

are disposed in racemes two to five inches long. They 
are pale yellow or lemon in color, and those familiar with 
them detect the odor of cowslips as nearly as it can be 
defined in words. These flowers appear before the leaves, 
and sometimes open in midwinter when the weather is 
mild for even a brief period. The plant needs to be cut 
back severely in transplanting, and in the extreme North 
winter protection will be of service. C. pauciflora is much 
the same in its general characteristics, but has fewer and 
smaller flowers, and does not attain to so large a size. C. 
multifiora comes from the tea districts of China, and is 
also an interesting plant. It has more rigid leaves less 
distinctly veined than the spicata, and grayish beneath, 
and longer and more closely packed racemes of yellow 
blossoms. The odor is something like that of the tea 
plant. This species has been so recently introduced that 
it is scarcely known to the nurserymen. C. Himalaya is 
another promising sort, having lighter-colored blossoms 
and still longer racemes, but it has not been sufficiently 
tested as to its climatic range to be advised for general 
planting. 

HAMAMELIS— Witch Hazel. 

THOUGH in the highest sense the witch hazel, as 
known under ordinary conditions, is scarcely to 
be included in the list of ornamental shrubs, it is 
nevertheless an interesting plant and capable of good 
service. There are only three known species, with per- 
haps two or three varieties, and these are nowhere largely 
in use as garden plants. One of the species is of Ameri- 



Hamamelis — Witch Hazel. 293 

can origin, one probably a native of China, and the third 
of Japan. In this country H. virginica is best known, as 
it grows freely over a large portion of our extended 
domain. It rises at its best from twenty to thirty feet, 
but is usually of much smaller dimensions. In most cases 
it assumes a bushy form with several stems springing from 
a common root, each branching freely so as to form a 
somewhat open and broad head. Occasionally it takes the 
form of a small tree, branching near the ground so as to 
still give it a shrubby appearance. Its chief peculiarity is 
in its flowers and fruit. The former are gathered in ax- 
illary clusters of three or four, are bright yellow, and, 
though small, especially interesting from both a botanical 
and horticultural standpoint. Nicholson, in his Dictionary 
of Gardening, says : " During the autumn and winter 
they begin to expand before the leaves of the previous 
summer drop off, and continue on the bush through the 
winter ; after the petals drop off in the spring the persist- 
ent calyces remain until the leaves re-appear in April or 
May." This is the English description, and it answers to 
what is known of the plant at home. It is no uncommon 
thing to see these blossoms at any time between October 
and March, as the bush is found skirting the forest or 
growing along the banks of brooklets from New England 
to Texas. They are followed by two-celled, woody pods, 
each containing a small nut which is edible and quite 
agreeable to the taste. The pods mature late in the fol- 
lowing season, and often not until flowering time. The 
leaves contain a large amount of tannin, and the product 
is used as an astringent and for other medical purposes, 



294 Ornamental Shrubs. 

though chemists fail to find in it elements for the cure of 
the many ills for which the decoction is recommended. 

CALOPHACA. 

Calophaca wolgarica is a small shrub but little known. 
It belongs to the lentil family, and comes from Siberia, 
having been introduced as long ago as 1780 to English 
and continental gardens, where it has since only barely 
held its own. It grows to a height of about three feet, 
and has the advantage of being reliably hardy and of 
good form, with pleasantly-tinted, pinnate foliage, and 
abundant golden flowers in hanging racemes, affording 
an agreeable contrast to its leafage. To bring this out to 
the best advantage it is advised to graft the more humble 
plant on the laburnum, and at such a height as may be 
desired, when, says Nicholson, " it forms an object at once 
singular, picturesque, and beautiful, whether covered with 
blossoms or with its fine, reddish pods." As a low plant 
it serves an excellent purpose in the edges of borders 
as well as in groups or masses, and when given sufficient 
height, as suggested, it surpasses many popular favorites. 
It thrives best in rather dry soil and partial shade. Cyti- 
sus wolgarica and Cytisus pinnatus are synonyms under 
which it is sometimes catalogued. 

PHILADELPHUS— Syringa— Mock Orange. 

THIS is a small genus of some twelve or fifteen 
species of the order Saxifragacece, indigenous to 
southern Europe, central Asia, Japan, and North 
America, all hardy shrubs, and possessed of many quali- 



Philadelphia — Syringa — Mock Orange. 295 

ties that commend them for garden cultivation throughout 
the temperate zones, where alone they are supposed to 
thrive. Without exception they are of easy cultivation, 
and few shrubs make so good returns, in both foliage and 
blossom, for the outlay expended upon them. As the 
flowers are produced on wood of the last year's growth, it 
is well to cut the shrub back sharply immediately after the 
flowering season. If this is not done it is liable to become 
a straggling bush, bare near the main stem, and somewhat 
coarse. By cutting, the number of flowering branches is 
multiplied, and, though the bush becomes large, every part 
will prove floriferous. The popular name, syringa, should 
be abandoned, as that belongs to the lilac. Philadelphus 
is as easily remembered, and it is better to call things by 
the right names. 

The best known of the species is P. coronarius, and 
there is reason for speaking of it as the mock orange 
because of the resemblance of the flower, and of the fra- 
grance of the entire shrub, to that of the real orangfe tree 
of the South. Under favoring; conditions it grows to a 
height of twelve feet. It is compact if properly handled 
in cultivation, but if left to itself it is sometimes far from 
symmetrical, though never ugly. The leaves are ovate, 
sharply pointed, and serrate. The flowers are creamy- 
white or light straw-color, and are possessed of a pungent 
fragrance. They appear in May, and in great abundance. 
There are several varieties, one of which, flore pleno, has 
double flowers of the same color and with similar fra- 
grance. Another, argentia marginata, has the foliage bor- 
dered with white, and is quite distinct and beautiful. It 



296 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



is a recent introduction, and is not yet widely distributed. 
For limited grounds it may be preferred, as it is of some- 
what smaller habit and more compact. If a real dwarf is 
wanted, the variety nanus may be chosen, though it does 
not blossom quite as freely. P. c. zeypheri is, on the con- 
trary, a large, spreading bush, and has beautiful flowers 




PHILADELPHUS SPECIOSISSIMUS. 



without fragrance, and which appear much later. What 
is popularly known as the golden syringa, P. folius atireus, 
has distinct yellow leaves, and is in all respects one of our 
best foliage plants. It holds its color throughout the 
entire summer, and, whether grown as a single plant or in 
masses, is a superior small shrub. 

P. gordoniantis is a native of this country, and, coming 



Philadelphia — Syringa — Mock Orange. 297 

from the Northwest, is entirely hardy. It has ovate, 
pointed foliage slightly serulate, and with favorable cir- 
cumstances makes a bush ten to twelve feet high and 
almost as broad. The flowers are produced in great 
abundance, are almost scentless, and in terminal racemes 
of from five to nine blossoms. This is much planted, 
and is one of the best sorts, as it is in its prime in July 
after most of the others have gone by. P. grandiflorus is 
another native of the United States, having its home in 
the South. It grows to about the same proportions, and 
has nearly round foliage, pubescent in the early part of 
the season, and irregularly toothed. The flowers are 
much larger than those of most of the other species, and 
are possessed of a delightful fragrance, not' as pungent as 
that of the coronarius which to some people is offensively 
strong. One of the varieties, P. g. speciosissimns, is of 
dwarf habit, and especially attractive as a garden plant, 
particularly where space is a consideration. It grows 
about three feet in height, and produces in great profusion 
very large, pure white, fragrant blossoms. 

P. microphyllus differs from most of the other species 
in having small foliage, the individual leaves being from 
one half to three quarters of an inch long. They are ovate, 
lanceolate, entire, and numerous. This grows about three 
feet high. The flowers are large, terminal, solitary, and 
in threes. As the branches are erect and slender, the 
plant has a very graceful aspect wherever seen. P. nivalis 
has glaucous leaves, white on the under side and green 
above. It is a small plant with the customary white flow- 
ers of the genus, as is P. hirsuta, or the hairy species, 



298 



Ornamental Shrubs, 



the leaves of which are covered with hairs on both 
surfaces. 

There has been recently introduced a class of hybrids 

some of which are known to 
be of a superior value. They 
are the products of the skill 
and ingenuity of M. Lemoine, 
to whom the horticultural 
world has become so greatly 
indebted as a hybridist. Most 
of them are not yet in culti- 
vation in America, but doubt- 
less will be at an early day. 
Among others they include 
the following : P. lemoinei av- 
alanche, the best known, is de- 
scribed as having long, slender 
branches, and very large, white, fra- 
grant blossoms, bending the stems 
under their weight. It is a bush from 
six to eight feet in height, and has 
often been figured in the magazines and catalogues, and is 
more or less familiar. P. lemoinei candelabre is another free- 
flowering variety, and has white flowers of unusual size, 
and prettily dentated and undulated. This is quite dwarf 
in habit, and makes a charming, compact little mass of 
blossoms. P. lemoinei erectus is an upright bush, and has 
small, very sweet flowers, while two others, called sheaf of 
snow and Mont Blanc have large, fragrant flowers like the 
others of this class, completely covering the shrub at the 




PHILADELPHUS CORONARIUS. 



Aralia — Angelica Tree. 299 

time of blossoming. The flowers of silver ball are also 
sweet-scented, and large, and vary through being double. 

ARALIA— Angelica Tree. 

THERE are said to be twenty-five or thirty species 
of the genus aralia, and widely distributed ; but 
they are mostly tender plants, and, except in 
warm climates, suitable only to cultivation under glass and 
with artificial heat. Several prove to be half-hardy, and 
can be grown in the open in such localities as California 
and the States bordering on the Gulf of Mexico, and 

<z> ' 

northward to the Carolinas. All are interesting and even 
beautiful plants, and worthy of more attention than has 
been usually accorded them in American gardens, though 
but two or three are able to endure the winters of New 
England and the middle Northwest. 

A. spinosa — Angelica Tree — Hercules' Club. — This is 
one of the largest growing, and the best of all for garden 
use. It rises from twelve to sixteen feet in height, and 
has the habit of sending up branches from the roots, so 
that when once established it often becomes a group, the 
parent stem in the centre, with smaller and lower ones on 
every side. When desired, these secondary growths can 
be easily removed so that the tree form may be retained. 
This species is indigenous to North America, and when 
first seen by Europeans was regarded as a great curiosity. 
One of its peculiarities is that the woody stem is covered 
from end to end with sharp prickles, so that one can 
scarcely touch it with the bare hand ; and another, that in 
autumn — especially when young — the large stems, having 



300 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



served as branches, fall off as well as the leaves. In this state 
it appears more dead than alive, and often very much un- 
like its floral or arboreal surroundings. But when spring 
comes it is quickly reclothed ; the ephemeral branches 
grow rapidly, and send out compound leaves two or three 
feet long, and often half as broad. These form a cluster 
at the top of what was so recently a bare stem, and are 
very tropical in appearance, being twice or thrice pinnate, 




ROSE ACACIA. (Seepage 46.) 

and borne on petioles, fifteen to twenty inches long, which 
clasp the main stem with a thickened and enlarged base. 
The flowers come out in midsummer in umbels and com- 
pound panicles. They are white tinted with green, and in 
such masses as to create surprise to one not familiar with 
the plant. This round head, with large foliage and im- 
mense cluster of flowers, has much the appearance of a 
tropical palm in full blossom, if such were a possible thing. 



Aralia — Angelica Tree. 



301 



The tree should be planted in sheltered position, as the top 
is too heavy and too large to withstand high winds to the 
best advantage. It is well adapted to shady situations, 
and even prefers them to bright, sunny exposures. With 
advancing age there is a tendency to more permanent 
branches and a still larger head. It is a rapid grower, and 
comparatively indifferent to soils and situation, though 
when growing wild 
is found most often 
in moist locations. 
A. sieboldii — 
Japanese Aralia. — 
Though belonging 
to the same class, 
this is quite anoth- 
er plant from that 
already described. 
It orows in the 
form of a bush 
three to six feet 
high and nearly as 
many through, and 
is covered with deep, glossy foliage, the individual leaves 
being digitate, twelve inches across, and on stout petioles a 
foot long. They are finely cut, and in themselves suffici- 
ently showy to make the plant worthy of a place in our best 
gardens where the conditions will allow. It is almost an 
evergreen in the South, where alone in this country it can 
be successfully planted. The flowers are comparatively 
small, white, and exceedingly numerous, covering in their 




ARALIA FATSIA. 



3Q2 Ornamental Shrubs. 

season the umbrella-like head in the greatest profusion. 
The London Garden speaks of it as " one of the most 
ornamental plants that can be used in the garden, a large 
mass of it on the turf presenting a fine aspect." It can 
doubtless be grown to perfection over a considerable sec- 
tion of the United States south of Washington, with the 
same care and attention bestowed on many other and 
less worthy kinds ; but in the North the winters are too 
severe. The Japanese name for this species v~> fatsia, and 
the botanists are now cataloguing it as the Aralia fatsia. 
There are two varieties, one having its foliage marked 
with white, and the other with yellow, neither proving 
itself superior in value to the type. 

HIBISCUS— Mallow— Althea. 

HIBISCUS is the old Greek name applied to what 
we know as the marshmallow, which constitutes 
a genus of Malvacece, having its home mostly in 
tropical or semi-tropical climates. It includes not far from 
one hundred species, and almost numberless varieties, 
some of which are annuals, others herbaceous perennials, 
and still others large and vigorous-growing shrubs. In 
nearly all, the flowers are large and beautiful, so that the 
genus is one of the most desirable in cultivation. Except 
in a few instances, they are of value in the temperate 
zones only as stove and greenhouse plants, though there 
are several, accounted tender, which do good service in 
open ground as we approach the southern boundaries of 
the great republic. In a general way they nearly all 
resemble in blossom the common hollyhock of the gardens, 



Hibiscus — Mallow — Althea. 



303 



to which they are in reality closely allied. The best-known 
native species is H. moscheutos, found chiefly in swamps 
and marshes along the Atlantic coast, and to some extent 
on the borders of the Great Lakes as far north as the Ca- 
nadian line. This is known almost everywhere as the 
swamp rose, and with a considerable degree of propriety. 
When transferred 
to ordinary soil it 
continues to thrive 
nearly as well as be- 
fore. This class of 
mallows appears in 
many colors. The 
several varieties 
make charming 
plants in the border, 
especially as they 
flower in mid-sum- 
mer. 

H. syriacus is 
the bush or small 
tree p opu 1 arly 
known as the althea, 
and sometimes as 
the rose of Sharon. It is believed to have originated in 
Syria, though it may not have been the flower mentioned 
as with affection in the Jewish Scriptures. It is usually a 
shrub ten to twelve feet in height, but sometimes much 
larger. Its habit is rather stiff and straggling, and it needs 
attention and a somewhat free use of the pruning-knife 




HIBISCUS. 



304 Ornamental Shrubs. 

to keep it in good shape. In no case is the foliage partic- 
ularly attractive, though in appearance it is always fairly 
good. The flowers, double and single, take on a consid- 
erable range of form and color, red, white, and purple, 
with numerous combinations and intermixtures. They 
come forward at the season of the year when the gar- 
dens and fields are most destitute of color, blooming 
in August and September, and continuing for some weeks. 
Because of their submission to the shears, the altheas 
are capable of making beautiful flowering hedges, though 
they do not appear to be much used for that purpose — 
perhaps, in part, for the reason that they afford but 
slight protection as a barrier against encroachments on 
the part of small animals. But as single specimens or 
in borders, they show to better advantage than any 
other shrub at the particular period when they are at 
their best. The many forms known to cultivation are 
supposed to be varieties springing from a common type, 
and as a rule are greatly superior to the species from 
which they have sprung. 

Of the numerous varieties only a few need be named, 
such as are believed to cover the field of usefulness on the 
part of the most exacting planters. One of the best- 
known single forms is H. totus albus, with pure white, 
single blossoms of large size, and without the prominent 
crimson eye for which the group is distinguished. H. 
alba plena is equally good in its general characteristics, 
producing large, white, double blossoms. H. boule de feu 
is in two forms, one with single red or pink flowers, and 
the other with double blossoms of the same hue. H. alba 



Hibiscus — Mallow — Althea. 



305 



variegata is marked with stripes of white and red. H. 
ccBi'ulea has large, double pink and white flowers shaded 
with purple, while H. leopoldii, which is comparatively 
new, presents the peculiarity of attractive, cut-leaved foli- 
age and very large as well as double flesh-colored flowers 
shaded with rose. 

H. anemoncefiora is one of the later introductions, and 
proves of especial merit. The 
flowers are double, the stamen-petals 
making a tufted centre and much 
shorter than the true petals. These 
latter are broad and conspicuous, 
deep scarlet at the base, distinctly 
extending into veins to almost the 
edges of the petals. The general 
color is dark pink. The plant is 
noted as a later bloomer than most 
others. H. canielliceflora is as de- 
sirable as the preceding through its 
distinction in color. The large, white 
flowers are handsome and showy, 
the broad, true petals extending 
much beyond the inner stamen-pet- 
als. The rich crimson eye, occur- double-flower.ng althea. 
ring in almost all the varieties, is very marked in this case. 
H. pcsoniceflora produces a blossom resembling a peony, 
though not as large. In color it is a beautiful pink, 
and very showy. Meehan in his Monthly gives the 
following description of an entirely new form : " H. 
enchantress is practically unknown to the public, not 




306 Ornamental Shrubs. 

having yet been disseminated. Its flowers are single, 
white with the usual crimson eye, and with a dash of 
rose tipping each petal. The appearance of this color 
regularly located on the petals, is unique and pleasing." 
Buist's variegated althea is distinguished for its beautiful 
foliage. The leaves are marked with stripes of yellowish- 
white in such proportions and distinctness as to arrest 
the attention of every passer. It is a low, well-rounded 
bush, and worthy of a place in every garden or border. 
It can scarcely be called a flowering shrub, for the blos- 
soms fail to materialize. Though the petals appear to be 
fully formed, they gather in the shape of balls or buttons, 
simply showing their tips, which are red. They remain 
into late autumn, but are more curious than beautiful. 

PAVIA— Dwarf Horse-Chestnut. 

THE common horse-chestnut, so freely planted in 
this country, is of foreign origin, having come 
from China, with Europe as an intermediary, and 
it must be confessed that America has given it a right 
royal welcome. Few trees are more freely grown on 
strictly ornamental grounds, as it has little or no economic 
value either in its timber or its fruit. It is a large and 
magnificent tree, and in spring is one of the most beauti- 
ful both in leaf and flower. 

It may not be appreciated by all that we have a branch 
of the horse-chestnut tribe which may be properly classed 
among shrubs, and which is equally, even if not more, 
desirable than the larger sort. The Alsculus parvi- 
fiora, known also as macrostachya in the catalogues, is a 



Pavia — Dwarf Horse-Chestnut. 



307 



native of the mountainous sections of the Carolinas, and 
extends thence both southward and westward. As it 
proves reasonably hardy throughout the Northern 
States also, it comes nearer than most others to meeting 
the demands of all sections. Still it cannot be advised for 




/ESCULUS PARVIFLORA. 



the extreme Northwest or the most exposed portions of 
New England. In the Ohio valley, where it abounds, it is 
popularly known as one of the buckeyes, and, though never 
a tree, it gains a height of fifteen to twenty feet, with a broad, 
well-rounded head, the foliage resembling that of the 
common horse-chestnut, but sufficiently distinct to be 
characteristic. The leaves are smaller, and composed of 
from five to seven oval-obovate leaflets, somewhat rough 



308 Ornamental Shrubs. 

and hairy on the under surface but smooth above. The 
flowers are in long, erect spikes resembling- in form those 
of the hyacinth, are mostly white, and in July cover the 
entire bush, which at that time is one of the most beautiful 
to be seen on the lawn or in the garden. But it is not to 
be planted indiscriminately, as it throws up suckers from 
the roots, forming in a few years larger groups than in 
many situations might be desired. The proper place for 
it, therefore, is where there is plenty of room to be devoted 
to its occupancy, where it may be left to itself in the 
certainty that it will become a thing of beauty scarcely 
surpassed in its season by tree or shrub. It has the 
advantage also of being quite indifferent to soils and 
ordinary climatic influences, for it will grow in the stiffest 
clay as freely and as surely as in ordinary garden loam. 

P. rubra, known in some sections as the red buckeye, 
and in others as the red or scarlet horse-chestnut, has 
elliptic-oblong leaves, tapering to a point at both ends, the 
leaflets numbering from five to seven, mostly in fives, 
smooth and slightly hairy in the axils of the nerves beneath. 
The flowers are produced in long and rather open panicles 
at the ends of the stems and branches, and in May or 
early June, and being red never fail to attract attention. 
The botanists do not agree whether it should be classed as 
a pavia or a horse-chestnut, and so it is placed in either 
section as the judgment of the horticulturist may dictate. 
For this reason it has several synonyms, among which are 
sEscuhts pavia, sEsculus rubzcunda, and sTLsculus carnea. 
There are several varieties, one a dwarf, another with 
pendulous branches, and still another with deeply and 



Hedysarum 309 

curiously cut leaves. The fact that none of these have 

come into more general cultivation would indicate that 

they have not proven themselves superior to the type. 

P. californica, as its name indicates, is a native of the 

Pacific slope, and is quite distinct from the preceding. 

The leaves are oblong, sharp-pointed, and on petioles. 

The general form is much the same, and the broad, round 

head, sometimes ten to twelve feet across, is densely 

covered with the characteristic foliage, the leaflets being 

oblong-lanceolate, sharp-pointed, and on slender petioles. 

The flowers are white or pale rose, with orange-colored 

anthers somewhat prominent. Unlike most others of this 

class they are highly fragrant. They appear in May, and 

crown the whole shrub with their upright spikes as they 

rise above the surface of green. In cultivation this variety 

usually grows from twelve to twenty feet high, but there 

are said to be specimens in its native habitat even much 

larger. 

HEDYSARUM. 

Hedysarum multijugum is an exotic, belonging to the 
Leguminosce, which has recently come to us from Mon- 
golia. It has not yet been thoroughly tested either in 
England or this country, but gives promise of being a 
valuable addition to the list of our hardy and ornamental 
shrubs. In the home of its adoption it seldom attains a 
height of more than five feet. It has slender branches, 
covered when young with minute, silky hairs which clothe 
alike the pinnate leaves and petioles, giving the whole 
bush a tinge of gray. The foliage suggests the tropics as 
the place of nativity, and the blossoms add force to the 



3io Ornamental Shrubs. 

suggestion. These come forward in June, and are borne 
in racemes eight to twelve inches long, and keep in good 
form for two or three weeks. In color they are rosy-pur- 
ple and very attractive. In the Northern States it may 
be well to afford the plant slight protection, especially in 
the early stages of its growth, but in the South this will 
be unnecessary. The species will certainly prove a 
valuable acquisition in that section. 

TAMARIX. 

THE hardy tamarisks are beautiful shrubs, and 
worthy of a more prominent place in orna- 
mental planting than in this country has yet 
been accorded them. While the genus is quite large, 
only a few species are suited to ordinary garden cultiva- 
tion. For planting by the seaside, and in especially 
exposed situations, they are of the utmost value, as their 
long, slender branches, readily yielding to the winds, are 
seldom broken. Not even the salt spray, so fatal to 
nearly all other plants, does them permanent harm, unless 
it be abundant and continuous. The tamarisks m-ow so 
rapidly as to be able to also serve a good purpose in such 
situations in affording protection to less hardy plants, and 
where their merits are appreciated they are sometimes 
grown in belts or masses for purposes of shelter. To 
make the most of them they must be severely cut back 
from year to year, as the tendency is to throw out long 
shoots that become bare stems, and as the foliage and 
flowers appear in most forms on the new growths only. 
They bear this clipping well, and are greatly improved in 



/ 
/ 



Tamarisk. 311 

their appearance by the operation. There is some confu- 
sion among specialists as to names both of the genus and 
the several species, but the following varieties will serve 
all practical purposes. 

The African tamarisk, T. afruana, is, perhaps, the 
earliest blooming species, the small flowers appearing in 
May or early in June in great profusion along the slender 
branches of the previous season's growth. They are 
bright pink and exceedingly beautiful, covering the whole 
bush and affording a marked contrast to the soft, feathery 
foliage. The time to cut in the branches is immediately 
after the flowering season is over, when the growth which 
follows will furnish blossom-buds for the next season. 
This tamarisk is known also as the T. tetrandra, and T. 
parvifiora. 

The French tamarisk, T. gallica, is a native not only 
of France, but also of Spain, Italy, and other Mediter- 
ranean countries. It grows to a height of eight or ten 
feet, with its very small, imbricated, feathery leaves in 
profusion, and the color contrasts are marked. The pale 
red or pink flowers are small but numerous, not dis- 
tributed as in the africana, but appearing in clusters or 
catkins about an inch lonof at the end of the slender 
branches. The twigs are also conspicuous because of 
their purple or reddish-colored bark. The shrub can be 
shaped to a low, round, compact head, or be trained to 
almost any form that may be desired, and is sometimes 
grown to advantage on the side of a building or wall. In 
either case the lightness and grace of foliage and blossom 
are sure to attract attention and admiration. 



312 Ornamental Shrubs. 

The late-flowering tamarisk, commonly known as T. 
indica, unlike those already named, blooms on wood of the 
same season's growth, and so must be cut well back in late 
autumn or early spring, when the plant will put forth long, 
slender branches, six feet or more, which will produce a 
profusion of blossoms in August and September, afford- 
ing a mass of color commingled with the fine, soft foliage 
that covers the spreading stems from end to end. 
" Nothing," says Garden and Forest, "can be more exqui- 
sitely graceful than the entire habit of this plant, and it is 
especially attractive in early morning when its branches 
droop under the weight of silvery dew." Neither the 
foliage nor the blossom differs in the early and late 
species to any appreciable degree, but the training of the 
plants must be quite unlike. If the early bloomers are 
cut back after the flowering season is over, the flower- 
buds for the next summer are all removed, and in this re- 
spect the season's growth will be a failure. But, if the 
branches of the indica are not cut sharply back at the 
close of the season, the plant will make another growth of 
six or eight feet, and the blossoms will appear only on 
the new wood, leaving a mass of bare stems below, which 
destroys the symmetry and attractiveness of the whole. 

KERRIA— Globe Flower. 

THERE is but one species of the kerria which is 
worthy of cultivation. It is a native of Japan and 
known as K. japonica, and popularly called Jews' 
Mallow, and is one of the early spring bloomers especially 
suitable for growing on a wall or fence. It is a deciduous, 



Sophora. 



313 



erect, handsome, and hardy plant, and sends up numerous 
stems which will thrive in almost any good soil. The 
flowers are orange-yellow with five ellipti- 
cal petals, obtuse and spreading. There 
are several varieties, double and single, 
the double being most in use, but the 
single having more beauty, and to be pre- 
ferred for many situations. The foliage 
is bright glossy green, smooth above, and 
slightly hairy on the under side. The 
height is from three to six feet. There 
are one or two varieties having foliage 
variegated with white, and these cannot 
fail to be appreciated when better known. 

SOPHORA. 

THE sophoras include a number of 
small trees and shrubs, natives of 
eastern Asia and certain portions 
of North America, and possessed of much 
interest. They belong to the order Legn- 
minosce, and number not far from twenty 
species, with numerous varieties that are 
worthy of notice. The best-known member of the family 
is catalogued as 6 1 . japonica, though it is supposed to 
be a native of China, and to have been taken to Japan 
many centuries ago, carrying with it the popular name, 
pagoda tree, which is still applied to it in both coun- 
tries. This name comes from the fact that it is largely 
planted in the vicinity of temples and public buildings. 




KERRIA JAPONICA. 



3H 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



In a certain sense it is looked upon by the Eastern 
populace as an object of veneration and emblematic of 
sacred things. At its best it grows some thirty feet high, 
but in this country it seldom reaches that altitude. It has 




WEEPING SOPHORA. 



graceful foliage, and the leaves are large, green tinged 
with blue, and hold their color well. They are com- 
pound, with eleven to thirteen oblong-oval and pointed 
leaflets. The flowers are terminal, in long, open pan- 
icles and creamy-white in color. They appear in August 
and September. Wherever seen this sophora proves 



Rhodotypos. 315 

a handsome tree. S. j. pendula is a weeping variety, 
and one of the best weeping-trees known. It should 
be grafted on the parent stock at such a height as is de- 
sired and will then form a large compact head with the 
branches reaching to the base on every side. It is not 
often seen on our lawns because of the difficulty and cost 
of securing good specimens. 

S. secundifiora is an American species with somewhat 
larger blossoms of rich violet color. These appear in 
June or early July. The leaves are more coriaceous and 
glossy than those of the japonica, but this form is not so 
hardy, and is not advised for northern planting. Its home 
appears to be in the extreme Southwest. It is abundant 
in Texas and Mexico, and is there a broad-leaved ever- 
green, growing to the height of six feet. .5 1 . tetraptera is 
a native of New Zealand, and has yellow flowers. It is a 
beautiful half-hardy shrub suitable for planting only in the 
Southern States unless afforded ample protection. It is 
deciduous, and grows to a height of twelve feet. 

RHODOTYPOS. 

THIS is a genus of only a single species, and is so 
closely allied to kerria as to be often confounded 
with it. By the botanists it is given the name R. 
kerrioides in consideration of the resemblance of both its 
flowers and foliage to Kerria japonica. It is a native of 
Japan, and was introduced into England as early as 1866, 
but has been practically unknown in American gardens 
until a much later date. The shrub rises ten to fifteen 
feet in height, and when grown on a wall has almost as 



316 Ornamental Shrubs. 

wide a spread. It can be grown in this way, or kept in 
due limits as a somewhat straggling bush, as may be 
desired. The branches are numerous and quite twiggy, 
and are clothed with light green leaves, opposite, oblong- 
ovate, pointed, and soft or silky beneath. The flowers 
very much resemble large, single roses, and are borne in 
profusion at the ends of the branches, continuing in suc- 
cession for a long period. Says Garden and Forest : 
" There is hardly a day from early June until frost comes 
when a well-grown specimen will not give a few sprays 
with single flowers at their extremities. The pure white 
blossom among the light green leaves is very attractive, 
and half a dozen of these sprays will help to add lightness 
and grace to a vase of the highly-colored flowers which 
usually prevail at this season." The plant is reasonably 
hardy, and can be depended upon both in the North and 

South. 

PTELEA— Hop Tree. 

THE ancients knew the elm by this name, which is 
now applied to a mere shrub because of a fancied 
resemblance in the fruit. It belongs to an entirely 
different order, Rutacece, and has little in common with 
the majestic elm. It rarely rises to more than eight feet. 
The pteleas make up a genus of six species, only one of 
which has a place among ornamental shrubs. P. trifoliata, 
known as the hop tree and also as swamp dogwood, is a 
much-branched shrub with alternate leaves usually in 
threes, pinnate, and with oblong or ovate leaflets. If the 
foliage is bruised or crushed it exhales a rather unpleasant 
odor. The flowers are greenish-yellow, and have a short 



Laburnum. 3 1 7 

calyx four- or five-parted and somewhat imbricated, with 

four or five petals of greater length and also imbricated. 

They appear in late May or early June. The variety 

known as the golden hop tree, P. t. aurea, is the same 

in all respects except that its foliage is a bright yellow, a. 

color which it retains the entire summer, if given a sunny 

position. In this respect it is excellent for the shrubbery 

or border or as a single specimen on the lawn where a bit 

of contrasting color is desired. Planted with the Prunus 

pissardia, or mingled with scarlet-leaved shrubs and trees, 

the effect is fine. 

LABURNUM. 

THERE are three species of this genus of the order 
Leguminosce, each having several varieties which 
are attractive and showy. They are small, up- 
right, slender-growing trees, and can scarcely be planted 
amiss in the border or on the lawn. L. vulgaris is popu- 
larly known as golden-chain, getting the name from the 
shape and color of the blossoms, which are in long pendu- 
lous racemes of bright yellow, covered with soft pubes- 
cence, and hang among the leaves from April until June. 
They are succeeded by pods which continue long on the 
tree but are by no means unsightly. The leaves are com- 
pound with ovate-lanceolate leaflets, and the stems and 
branches are slightly bronzed. Among the desirable 
varieties are L. v. aureum, with golden foliage ; L. v. involu- 
tum, with curled leaflets in the form of rings ; L. v. zvaterii, 
with racemes longer than those of the others and more 
deeply colored ; and L. v. parkesii, which has still more 
conspicuous blossoms. These grow to a height of twenty 



318 Ornamental Shrubs. 

feet, as does L. alpinum, which is particularly distinguished 
as the Scotch laburnum and also has the name of golden- 
chain. It has much the same flower as the vulgaris, and 
is perhaps the hardiest member of the family. The 
laburnums are natives of Europe and Asia Minor. 

CITRUS— Orange. 

THE oranges are among the most interesting flower- 
and fruit-bearing shrubs and trees, but their free 
cultivation is limited to tropical and semi-tropical 
climates. They belong to the order Rutacece, and are 
found in the genus citrus, and are distinguished for their 
beautiful and fragrant blossoms, their attractive foliage, 
and the peculiar habit of bearing flowers and fruit at the 
same time. Most of the oranges are easily grown, and 
they come to maturity as early as do the peach or apricot. 
The citrus is thought to be the longest-lived tree in the 
world. It is a native of the warm valleys of the Hima- 
layas, and of Persia, where specimens of great age are 
found, though there are no means of determining the years 
which they may have seen. 

In the range of the Gulf States the oranges, as also 
the lemon, are at home, though not always to be depended 
upon in unusually severe winters. Among the varieties 
of interest for more general cultivation and for ornamental 
use is C. trifoliata, a native of Japan, which was intro- 
duced into English gardens some time since, and has been 
thoroughly tested as to its hardiness in that climate. The 
London Garden says that in some of the southern coun- 
ties specimens have been growing well in the open ground, 



Citrus — Orange. 



319 



and even bearing fruit in apparent perfection. Since its 
introduction into the United States it has proved entirely 




TRIFOLIATE ORANGE. 

hardy in the far South, and is now making an encouraging 
record farther north. In the Carolinas and Virginia it 
appears to thrive, and specimens have been known to have 
survived mild winters without unusual protection. As a 



3 2 ° 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



pot or tub plant it requires no more care or attention than 
is given to Hydrangea kortejtsza and its varieties, to make 
its place sure in garden ornamentation. The foliage is 
good in form and color, and the creamy-white flowers have 
the true rich orange fragrance. The yellow fruit is about 

one and a half 
inches in diameter, 
and hangs long on 
the bush. C. tri- 
foliata bids fair to 
be of much service 
aside from its orna- 
mental character. 
The Department 
of Agriculture is 
testing its merits 
as a basis for the 
more tender sorts, 
and by hybridiz- 
ing, crossing-, and 
budding it is hoped 
to secure a new 
class of orange 
trees and one bet- 
ter fitted than any heretofore known for varying climates. 
It is believed that by this means the orange-bearing line 
may be materially extended northward. 

C. otaheite is a Chinese dwarf orange, and valuable for 
ornamental purposes only. It seldom grows more than 
three feet high, and is of bushy habit, much branched and 




OTAHEITE ORANGE. 



Citrus — Orange. 



321 



somewhat tortuously. It is a free bloomer and fruit 
bearer, and begins to bloom when not more than a foot 
high, and like a true orange bears flowers and green and 
ripe fruit at the same time. It is grown in the open in 
the South, but in the North must be treated as a house- 
plant. The flowers are, when well opened, fully an inch 




FLOWERING BRANCH OF ORANGE. 



across, and have creamy-white petals about a group of 
many erect stamens. They are deliciously fragrant. The 
fruit is small and of inferior quality, but it is edible and 
fully as good as some of the foreign oranges that are 
brought to our markets. It is seedless, well-colored, and re- 
mains long on the pert little tree whether in-doors or out, 
and with the fresh blossoms and the glossy leaves makes a 
beautiful plant. The otaheite endures the heat and gas of 



3 22 Ornamental Shrubs. 

living-rooms well, and if kept moist and clean seldom fails 

to gratify the grower with a crop of miniature fruit. In 

the open it thrives in ordinarily good soil, but does better 

in partial shade than if exposed to the full power of the 

sun. 

HALESIA — Snowdrop Tree. 

TH E halesias are coming to be recognized as among 
our best ornamental shrubs, and with reason. 
They belong to the order Styracacece, and, though 
the genus contains not more than six or eight species, 
they are widely distributed as to nativity over Europe, 
Asia, and America. There are three indigenous to the 
United States, one to China, and two or more to Japan. 
Wherever known they are highly appreciated among the 
plants of the class to which they belong. They are 
among the very floriferous shrubs, the pure white blos- 
soms enveloping the whole plant and making it a con- 
spicuous object. The leaves are medium in size, ovate- 
oblong, sharply pointed, and slightly dentate. They are 
borne on slender petioles. While the halesias are not 
overparticular as to soils and situations, they appear to 
enjoy shady positions and to have a preference for moist, 
sandy soils. 

H. tetraptera is known as the four-winged snowdrop 
or silver-bell, and has its pure white flowers in fascicles 
containing nine or ten bell-shaped blossoms each. These 
come forth in early spring as soon as the foliage appears, 
and are borne on pedicels from the axils of the growth of 
the previous year. They are followed by a four-winged 
fruit. As the branches of the shrub are long and slender 



3 2 4 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



and very numerous, the well-rounded head shows to the 
best advantage. The plant is a native of this country. 
It grows to a height of some twenty feet. 

H. diptera is also of American origin, but grows only 
ten feet high. It has even larger blossoms and leaves 
than the tetraptera, and many prefer it for garden plant- 
ing as it is known to be equally hardy. H. hispida is a 
native of Japan, and has flowers in more corymbose ra- 
cemes than has either of the preceding. The fruit is 
covered with stiff hairs. It is not yet much grown in this 
country, and has no especial merits over our own halesias. 
None of the halesias can be depended upon to withstand 
the winters of the extreme North unless well protected. 




^^& 
W8 








- ■ —I 

22fs 



MISCELLANEOUS. 

IN portraying the characteristics of ornamental shrubs, 
it has become evident that reference might well be 
made to some of the smaller members of not a few 
genera among the large trees, not belonging to the class 
described. This has already been done to some extent, 
but there are yet others of the lower forms in use in 
horticulture with especial features that should be men- 
tioned in order to more full and complete information 
concerning general gardening. This chapter is accord- 
ingly added as a further help to readers of this volume. 

What are known as the Japanese maples have been 
described in detail, but there are several other small forms 
of almost or quite equal value in garden planting, which 
we here proceed to characterize : Acer campestre, the 
English or cork-bark maple, a native of central Europe, 
grows to a height of from fifteen to twenty feet, and is 
of stocky, roundish habit and handsome foliage. The bark 
is, as suggested by the popular name, thick, rough, and 
somewhat corky. A. colchicum nibrum, the red colchicum 
maple, is from Japan, ten to fifteen feet high, of good 
form, with bright crimson-colored foliage when first 
grown, and is a rare and beautiful variety, but not en- 
tirely hardy in New England. A. wierii laciniatum, 

325 



J 



26 Ornamental Shrubs. 



Wier's cut-leaf maple, is one of the most useful of the 
family, as it is a rapid and graceful grower, forming beauti- 
ful specimens in a short time. It has pendulous branches, 
with deeply cut foliage, and as it becomes quite large is 
coming to be planted as a street tree. The ash-leaved 
maple, or box-elder, also has the advantage of being a 
rapid grower, and has light green, yellowish bark. There 
are two varieties of this species, one of which has its foli- 
age marked with yellow, and the other with white. The 
yellow form is esteemed the more hardy. A. Pennsyl- 
vanicum, or the striped-bark maple, is a native tree, with 
broad and effective foliage, and well worthy of planting in 
all ordinary collections. A. schwedlerii is distinguished 
by its bright crimson foliage in the early part of the sea- 
son, later taking on a purplish green. In autumn it again 
becomes crimson, and contrasts finely with other foliage 
when planted in groups. A. worleii is a golden-leaved 
sycamore maple, the foliage being bright yellow in spring 
and changing to a duller shade as the season advances. It 
is one of the most effective of the whole group for garden 
planting. A. tartaricum, or Tartarian maple, is of a more 
shrubby growth, and of irregular, rounded form. The leaves 
are rather light-colored, and the bark smooth. A. ginnala 
is described as a miniature maple from Siberia, with 
deeply notched leaves which take on most gorgeous colors 
in autumn — orange, crimson, and dark purple or black. 
In speaking of the Acer rubrum, Mr. Samuel Parsons, 
Jr., in his work on Landscape Gardening, says : " The 
most brilliant effects are reached in the red or crimson 
tints. Scarlet is a color almost unknown to the normal 




1 *X^K^- 



328 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



foliage of hardy plants. The most familiar example of 
this rich chord of color is found in the autumn tints of the 
swamp, or falsely named scarlet, maple, Acer rubrum. 
. . . The scarlet or red maple is the richest in autum- 
nal color of all maples ; I was about to say of all trees. 
It seldom fails during any autumn to change more or less 
splendidly ; and therefore deserves to stand out a single 
flamine monument in the van of all autumnal color. There 
is something quite indescribable in the glow and intensity 
of tint often displayed by this maple. Is it ignorance or 
the want of seeing eyes that causes its lack of employ- 
ment on the lawn ? It is true the scarlet maple is slower 
growing than the sugar-maple, of less regular and pleas- 
ing outline, and certainly less beautiful and satisfactory at 
other seasons of the year. But in fall it 
simply reigns supreme." 

As is well known, the catalpas flower 
in midsummer, and are as handsome as 
the horse-chestnut, the blossoms some- 
what resembling those of that 
well-known species. One of 
the best forms of the smaller 
kinds is C. bungei, 
which comes from 
China, and grows 
only from three to 
five feet in height. 
Its foliage is large and glossy. 
It fails to be a first-class 
bloomer, but should not be 




CATALPA BIGNONIOIDES. 



Miscellaneous. 329 

overlooked. C. bignonioides is a native of the United 
States, and is a showy, spreading, and irregular tree with 
heart-shaped leaves and pyramidal clusters nearly or quite 
a foot in length, and with white or purple fragrant blos- 
soms. The golden catalpa is a variety of this species, 
differing from it chiefly in having leaves yellow in spring 
and early summer, afterwards becoming green. C. kcemp- 
feri comes from Japan, produces yellowish-white flowers in 
June, and has smaller and somewhat distinct foliage. What 
is known as Teas's Japan hybrid is a low form with a 
spreading habit, having flowers with purple dots. The 
blossoms are fragrant and exceedingly abundant, and have 
the advantage of continuing for several weeks. 

The beeches furnish also some peculiar and interest- 
ing forms. Among these is the well-known purple-leaved 
beech, which is probably the finest dark-leaved tree in 
cultivation. It grows large, is of symmetrical form, and, 
though quite out of the range of shrub life, is highly de- 
sirable on tree- and shrub-planted lawns. There is also a 
pendulous variety, established by grafting, with the same 
dark foliage and trailing branches. There are various 
forms of cut-leaf and fern-leaf beeches which must not 
be overlooked, though eventually they become too 
large to be classed with shrubs. What is known as the 
fern-leaf beech, Fagus heterophylla, is especially beautiful. 
It is believed that the first specimen brought into the 
country is still living, and stands in front of Redwood Li- 
brary, on Bellevue Avenue, in Newport, where it is looked 
upon almost with veneration by the people of that city 
and those who make it their temporary home in summer. 



330 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



It is a tree of compact and elegant habit, with its foliage 
finely cut and fern-like, and in spring is certainly one of 
the most charming specimens in field or garden. Every 
one in that city of villas makes it a point to secure one or 
more of these trees within his grounds. There are many 
other cut-leaved forms, but none so beautiful and delicate as 




CUT-LEAVED BEECH. 



this. The variety known as the weeping beech is too 
familiar to need description, but it must not be over- 
looked in making selections. F. tricolor is a variety, 
probably, of the purple beech, with a distinct border of 
rose color ; but it is scarcely in general use, and probably 
for the reason that the variegation will not continue un- 
der the hot suns of summer. If planted at all, it should 
be in situations protected during the middle of the day. 



Miscellaneous. 331 

Salisbtiria adiantifolia is a remarkable tree, which was 
introduced some years since from Japan, growing at its 
maturity to a height of about forty feet. It is usually of 
slender form, and so suited to positions that are limited 
where a tree of that height is desired. It is known as the 
maidenhair tree, or gingko, having foliage resembling in 
form that of the adiantum fern, which is thick and glossy. 
In the cities of Europe it is becoming a favorite street 
tree, and is always handsome. 

Cladrastis tinctoria, formerly known as Virgilia lutea, 
or yellow wood, is in all respects a most desirable tree of 
moderate growth, broadly rounded head, and compound 
foliage, of light green color, turning to yellow in autumn. 
The flowers are pea-shape, white, and fragrant, appearing 
in June in great profusion. It is not supposed to be suffi- 
ciently hardy for the colder portions of New England and 
the Northwest, but in southern Rhode Island and Con- 
necticut it is found to withstand the climate in severest 
winters. More attention should be given to this beautiful 
tree than it has had in the past. 

Of the birches there are also several interesting forms 
which cannot well be overlooked in garden planting. 
Bettda alba is the well-known European white weeping 
birch, of rapid growth, with the bark of its stem and 
branches of a color most effective in winter, and a plant 
worthy of general attention. B. alba aurea is, perhaps, a 
more striking novelty. Its characteristics distinguishing 
it from the former are that the leaves in summer are of 
constant yellow, and associated with the purple and white 
form it becomes of great value. It is not much known 



332 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



as yet in cultivation. B. pendula laciniata is the well- 
known weeping birch so largely in cultivation. It grows 
in slender form, having finely cut foliage on drooping 
branches. It is one of the best of the silvery-white forms 
for planting upon lawns, and should not be overlooked. 



•■'i'l, 7 ,*-- '% ■'"' 




WEEPING BIRCH. 



B. atro purpurea is a variety possessing the habit of the 
other birches, and distinguished from them by having 
purple foliage which is especially attractive in contrast 
with the white bark of the stems and branches. B. nana 



Miscellaneous. 



333 



is, perhaps, the smallest member of the family known in 
cultivation. It is a bushy, shrubby tree, attaining about 
ten feet in height, and in every way attractive. 

Many of the willows are also midway between trees 
and shrubs, and as such are of the utmost value in garden 
planting. They are especially to be recommended for 
winter effects. Salix vitellina is a small, shrubby form 




WEEPING WILLOW. 



having yellow bark, especially in winter, when showy 
effects are so much desired. There are other forms known 
as golden willows perhaps equally good, but none better 
than this. S. pentandra, or laurifolza, is one of the hand- 
somest trees to be seen in any collection. The leaves are 
dark glossy green, and highly ornamental. It is also ex- 
cellent for seashore planting, and withstands winds and 



334 



Ornamental Shrubs. 



cold much better than most plants. It can be grown in 
shrubby form if desired. S. regalis is worthy of large use 
for the contrasts furnished by its light or silvery foliage 
with other plants, and 6". rosmarimfolia, or rosemary wil- 
low, has long, narrow, silky foliage, and is capable of 
being grown in a globular head by means of grafting. 





INDEX 



Abelia, 92 
Acacia, 44 
Acer, 48, 326 
^Esculus, 306 
Ague Tree, 174 
Alder, 236 

Almond, flowering, 257 
Alnus, 236 
Althea, 302 
Amelanchier, 176 
Amorpha, 201 
Andromeda, 225 
Angelica Tree, 209 
Apple, flowering, 104 
Aralia, 299 
Arrow-wood, 185 
Azalea, 24 



B 



Baccharis, 224 
Barberry, no 
Beach Plum, 261 
Bechtel's Crab, 109 
Beech, 329 
Berberis, no 
Birch, 331 
Black Alder, 143 
Black Haw, 189 
Black Wattle, 45 
Box, 189 
Box-elder, 326 
Buckeye, 307 
Buckthorn, 70 



Buffalo Berry, 56 
Burning Bush, 206 
Bush Honeysuckle, 242 
Buxus, 1 89 



Calico Bush, r 
Calluna, 67 
Calophaca, 294 
Calycanthus, 12 
Camellia, 272 
Cape Jessamine, 119 
Caragana, 264 
Cassandra, 231 
Catalpa, 328 
Cercis, 288 
Chaste Tree, 275 
Cherry, flowering, 247 
Chinese Crab, 107 
Chinese Lilac, 217 
Chionanthus, 239 
Citrus, 318 
Cladrastris, 331 

Clethra, 9 

Colutea, 72 

Cornel, 276 

Cornelian Cherry, 284 

Cornus, 276 

Corylopsis, 291 

Corylus, 171 

Crab, 104 

Crape Myrtle, 174 

Crataegus, 74 

Currant, flowering, 155 

Cydonia Japonica, 102 

335 



33 6 



Index. 



D 

Daphne, 178 

Desfontainea, 35 

Desmodium, 210 

Deutzia, 4 

Diervilla, 150 

Dirca, 35 

Dogwood, 276 

Dwarf Horse-chestnut, 306 



Eteagnus, 266 
Elder, 15 
Erica, 67 
Euonymus, 205 
Exochorda, 14 



False Indigo, 201 
Fatsia, 302 
Fern-leaf Beech, 329 
Forsythia, 33 
Fragrant Sumach, 195 
Fringe Tree, 239 

G 

Gardenia, 119 
Garland Flower, 180 
Ghent Azaleas, 28 
Gingko, 331 
Globe Flower, 312 
Golden Catalpa, 329 
Golden Chain, 318 
Golden Hop Tree, 317 
Golden Willow, 333 
Gordonia, 287 
Great Laurel, 168 
Groundsel Tree, 224 
Guelder Rose, 185 



H 



Halesia, 322 
Halimifolia, 224 
Hamamelis, 292 
Hardhack, 123 
Hawthorn, 74 



Hazel-nut Tree, 171 
Heath, 67 
Hedysamm, 309 
Hercules Club, 299 
Hibiscus, 302 
High-bush Cranberry, 183 
Hobble Bush, 182 
Holly, 136 
Hop Hornbeam, 209 
Hop Tree, 316 
Horse-chestnut, 306 
Horse Sugar, 145 
Hydrangea, 36 
Hypericum, 60 



Ilex, 136 
Ironwood, 209 
Itea, 274 

J 

Japanese Maples, 48 
Japan Quince, 102 
Jew's Mallow, 312 
Judas Tree, 288 
June Berry, 177 



K 



Kalmia, 1 
Kerria, 312 
Kcelreuteria, 192 



Laburnum, 317 
Lagerstroemia, 174 
Lead Plant, 202 
Leather wood, 35 
Leucothoe, 233 
Ligustrum, 57 
Lilac, 211 
Loblolly Bay, 288 
Lonicera, 242 



M 



Macrostachya, 306 
Magnolia, 81 
Maidenhair Tree, 331 



Index. 



337 



Mallow, 302 
Maple, 48, 326 
Meadow Sweet, 122 
Mock Orange, 294 
Morus, 99 
Mountain Laurel, 1 
Mulberry, 99 
Myrica, 21 

N 

Naked Viburnum, 184 
Ninebark, 121 



Oleo Fragrans, 204 
Orange, 318 
Osmanthus, 202 
Ostrya, 209 



Pagoda Tree, 313 

Paulownia, 18 

Pavia, 306 

Peach, flowering, 259 

Pearl Bush, 14 

Persian Lilac, 216 

Philadelphus, 294 

Phillyrea, 66 

Pieris, 227 

Pinxter, 28 

Plum, flowering, 261 

Prim, 57 

Prinos, 143 

Privet, 57 

Prunus, 247 

Ptelea, 316 

Purple-leaved Beech, 329 

Pyrus Japonica, 102 

Pyrus Malus, 104 



R 



Red Bud, 288 
Red Osier, 282 
Rhamnus, 70 
Rhododendron, 161 



Rhodotypos, 315 
Rhus, 194 
Ribes, 155 
Rosa Rugosa, 95 
Rose Acacia, 46 
Rosemary Willow, 334 
Rose of Sharon, 303 
Rowan Tree, 182 



Salisburia, 331 
Sambucus, 15 
Sassafras, 172 
Scarlet Maple, 328 
Scotch Laburnum, 318 
Service Berry, 177 
Shad Berry, 177 
Sheep Berry, 1S3 
Shepherdia, 56 
Siberian Crab, 108 
Siberian Pea Tree, 264 
Silver Bell, 322 
Smoke Tree, 198 
Snowball, 184 
Snowdrop Tree, 322 
Sophora, 313 
Spindle Tree, 206 
Spirsea, 120 
Spurge Laurel, 181 
Stagger Bush, 228 
Staghorn Sumach, 195 
Steeple Bush, 123 
Stephandra Flexuosa, 71 
St. John's-wort, 60 
St. Peter's-wort, 126 
Strawberry Tree, 205 
Stuartia, 157 
Styrax, 146 
Sumach, 194 
Swamp Dogwood, 316 
Swamp Honeysuckle, 28 
Swamp Rose, 303 
Sweet Fern, 24 
Sweet Leaf, 145 
Sweet Pepper- bush, 9 
Sweet Viburnum, 183 
Symplocus, 144 



A 



338 



Index, 



^ 



Syringa, 2ti 

Syringa (Philadelphus), 294 



Tamarix, 310 
Tartarian Maple, 326 
Thorn, 74 
Tree Box, 190 



Venetian Sumach, 198 
Viburnum, 181 
Virgilia, 331 
Vitex, 275 

W 

Waahoo, 206 
Wax Myrtle, 22 
Wayfaring Tree, 182 
Weeping Beech, 330 



Weeping Birch, 332 
Weeping Sophora, 315 
Weigela, 150 

Weir's Cut -leaf Maple. 3-26 
White Weeping Birch, 331 
Wig Tree, 198 
Wild Rosemary, 226 
Willow, 333 
Winterberry, 143 
Witch Hazel, 292 
Wythe Rod, 184 



Xanothoceras, 134 



Yellow Wood, 331 



Zenobia, 232 




BOOKS FOR THE C OUNTRY 

NATURE STUDIES IN BERKSHIRE 

By John Coleman Adams. With 16 illustrations in photogravure from 
original photographs by ARTHUR SCOTT. 8°, gilt top. 

A collection of prose pictures of skies and woods and fields, intermingled 
with the reflections of a writer who is at once a philosopher and a poet, one 
who eujoys profoundly the beauties of the Berkshire Hills, and who possesses 
the art of enabling his reader to share in his enjoyment. 

LANDSCAPE GARDENING 

Notes and Suggestions on Lawns and Lawn-Planting, Laying out and Ar- 
rangement of Country Places, Large and Small Parks, Cemetery Plots, and 
Railway-Station Lawns ; Deciduous and Evergreen Trees and Shrubs, The 
Hardy Border, Bedding Plants, Rockwork, etc. By Samuel Parsons, Jr., Ex- 
Superintendent of Parks, New York City. With nearly 200 illustrations. 
Large 8°, $3.50. 

" Mr. Parsons proves himself a master of his art as a landscape gardener, and this superb 
book should be studied by all who are concerned in the making of parks in other cities," — 
Philadelphia Bulletin. 

LAWNS AND GARDENS 

How to Beautify the Home Lot, the Pleasure Ground, and Garden. By 
N. JonSSON-RosE, of the Department of Public Parks, New York City. With 
172 plans and illustrations. Large 8°, gilt top, $3.50. 

"Mr. Jonsson-Rose has prepared a treatise which will prove of genuine value to the large 
and increasing number of those who take a personal interest in their home grounds. It does 
not aim above the intelligence or aesthetic sense of the ordinary American citizen who has 
never given any thought to planting and to whom some of the profounder principles of gar- 
den-art make no convincing appeal."— Garden and Forest. 

ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS 

For Garden, Lawn, and Park Planting. With an Account of the Origin, 
Capabilities, and Adaptations of the Numerous Species and Varities, Native and 
Foreign, and Especially of the New and Rare Sorts, Suited to Cultivation in the 
United States. By Lucius D. Davis. With over 100 illustrations. 8°. 

This volume is addressed to both scientific men, and that large class of 
persons who, though interested in plants, have no knowledge of Botany, and 
neither time nor inclination to acquire it. The phraseology is plain and the 
descriptions are easily comprehensible ; yet the book contains material never 
before presented, relating to varieties of plants developed under cultivation. 

THE LEAF COLLECTOR'S HANDBOOK AND HERBARIUM 

An aid in the preservation and in the classification of specimen leaves of 
the trees of Northeastern America. By Charges S. N^-whai,^. Illustrated. 
8°, $2.00. 

" The idea of the book is so good and so simple as to recommend itself at a glance to 
everybody who cares to know our trees or to make for any purpose a collection of their leaves." 
— JV Y Critic 

THE WONDERS OF PLANT LIFE 

By Mrs. S. B. HERRICK. Fully illustrated. 16 , $1.50. 

The only thing aimed at is to give the more important types in a popular 
way, avoiding technicalities where ordinary language could be substituted, and, 
where it could not, giving clear explanations of the terms. 

" A dainty volume . . . opens up a whole world of fascination . . . full of infor- 



mation." — Boston Advertiser. 



G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS, 27 & 29 West 23d St., New York 



BOOKS FOR THE COUNTRY 



OUR INSECT FRIENDS AND FOES 

How to Collect, Preserve and Study Them. By Beu,E S. Cragin. With 
over 250 illustrations. 8°. 

Miss Cragin sets forth the pleasure to be derived from a systematic study of 
the habits of insects, and gives many points which will be of practical value to 
the beginner. She gives comprehensive descriptions of all the more important 
species to be found in the United States, together with illustrations of the same. 

AMONG THE MOTHS AND BUTTERFLIES 

By JuiyiA P. Bai/tard. Illustrated. 8°, $1.50. 

"The book, which is handsomely illustrated, is designed for young readers, relating 
some of the most curious facts of natural history in a singularly pleasant and instructive 
manner." — JV. Y. Tribune 

BIRD STUDIES 

An account of the L,and Birds of Eastern North America. By Wiujam 
B. D. SCOTT. With 166 illustrations from original photographs. Quarto, 
leather back, gilt top, in a box, net, $5.00. 

"A book of first class importance. . . . Mr. Scott has been a field naturalist for up- 
wards of thirty years, and few persons have a more intimate acquaintance than he with bird 
life. His work will take high rank for scientific accuracy and we trust it may prove success- 
ful." — London Speaker. 



WILD FLOWERS OF THE NORTHEASTERN STATES 

Drawn and carefully described from life, without undue use of scientific 
nomenclature, by EiXEN Mh^er and Margaret C. Whiting. With 308 
illustrations the size of life, and Frontispiece. New edition in smaller form. 
S°, net, $3.00. 

"The authors of this excellent work offer it, not in competition with scientific botanies, 
but with the hope that by their drawings and descriptions they may make it easy to become 
acquainted with the wild flowers of the northeastern portion of the United States. Anybody 
who can read English can use the work and make his identifications, and, in the case of some 
of the flowers, the drawings alone furnish all that is necessary. . . . The descriptions are 
as good of their kind as the drawings are of theirs." — N. V. Times. 



THE SHRUBS OF NORTHEASTERN AMERICA 

By Chari.ES S. Newhah,. Fully illustrated. 8°, $1.75. 

" This volume is beautifully printed on beautiful paper, and has a list of 116 illustrations 
calculated to explain the text. It has a mine of precious information, such as is seldom 
gathered within the covers of such a volume.'' — Baltimore Farmer. 

THE VINES OF NORTHEASTERN AMERICA 

By Charges S. Newhaix. Fully illustrated. 8°, $1.75. 

"The work is that of the true scientist, artistically presented in a popular form to an 
appreciative class of readers." — The Churchman. 

THE TREES OF NORTHEASTERN AMERICA 

By Charges S. Newhau,. With illustrations made from tracings of the 

leaves of the various trees. 8°, $1.75. 

"We believe this is the most complete and handsome volume of its kind, and on account 
of its completeness and the readiness with which it imparts information that everybody needs 
and few possess, it is invaluable." — Binghamton Republican. 



G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS, 27 & 29 West 23d St., New York 



Lb My '1 3 










^ ■'-, 



■ ^ * S ml ' 









\ 
"^ 



-p 



'.>.^ v .-* 



s^ 1 -S- 







aV 



, V 
V 



-* v 












v#' 









,#^ 






« 4 •* 






> 



A^ 



*> ^ 












^ i 


















V,* v 












a V 



£ ^ 



'%<T 







,<^ 






s v x 






«*v 






/ 



^ % 

«*». 



v. v 



V 



* o 



w»l 



^ ■<* 



vOC 



%• 



y^ " 8 i * 



^ V* 
















>% 






*5* 









Kr A^ 



ci- >- 



'> 









13 /^ 



r^ 






** V "* 












■*o ^ 






* 









^ft, ' < 












'>, 



^ 






o5 ^ 





















-0- 



. 



< -;■-, 






■ V <> 















./ ^'-'^ 



V^ 



^ O^ 



° ' 



% = 













't' 









• 













: 












<v * 



'*0 X 



;.- s 



s 






■^ ^ 



,v' 



~o . 




"7*; 


&J- 


■/> 













~<s 



& o 



>» t » 






